The Past, The Future, and The Present
by ChristinaFay
Summary: A simple experiment sent Hermione back to a day in 1982. Unintentionally, she created a new adventure for herself, one of her best friends, and her potions master whom she had never thought she would want to deal with outside of class.
1. Spinner's End

**_This is another one of those crazy ideas that just recently came upon me. I can only hope you are up for a different kind of adventure in the magical world created by Ms. Rowling... A quick clarification: what you are about to read could be described as characters' journeys in self-discovery, not so much as an adventure full of dueling and fighting. And of course, knowing myself, I can tell you now that it will become a love story, eventually..._**

**_One last note... I am, obviously, not from the wonderful land of England. Therefore I have no idea about the distance between one geographic location to another. Although I have always tried to stay close to reality in my stories, I know I am making some serious assumptions here. As you will soon realize, the locations mentioned in this story are all "magically" close to each other. But hey, after all, it's fiction, fanfiction, about a magical world... So... I hope my modification to the map of Magical England won't bother you too much._**

**_All characters belong to the brilliant J. K. Rowling._**

* * *

**The Past, The Future, and The Present**

**Chapter One - Spinner's End**

Hermione Granger sat nervously on the edge of the back seat in a taxi cab. As she had instructed, the taxi driver kept a careful distance from the cab in front of them, while following it into a small and quiet neighborhood.

The neighborhood was filled with heavy smog that was tinted with a light shade of brown, casting a depressing sensation over the modest-looking brick buildings along the street. The dirty street that they had been on for a little while slowly began to make Hermione's stomach churn. She took note of the trash littered along the sidewalk, and the graffiti painted on the walls outside a neighborhood store. It was just as they passed a dirty river when Hermione noticed the cab in the distance began to slow down. Could this be the destination of their journey?

"Excuse me Sir, do you know where we are?" she asked in a small voice.

"Oh yes Miss, as a matter of fact, I do!" the middle-aged man in the driver seat answered politely, "They call this place Spinner's End, an old neighborhood that used to house textile factory workers. Quite a nasty neighborhood if you ask me..."

Hermione frowned at the information. She had never heard of such a place from Harry. Why was his aunt taking him here? Could this have anything to do with what she had done the night before?

Fear rose inside of her. For the first time since yesterday, Hermione realized she might have made a terrible mistake. Perhaps, there was indeed another rule about using the time turner; perhaps, seeing her own self while traveling to the past was not as bad as meddling with time!

* * *

**_... Twenty-four Hours Ago_**

Hermione was sitting in a hanging chair under an apple tree in the backyard at her parents' house, enjoying another warm afternoon of the summer holiday. It was still early in the day, and her parents had not yet returned from their dentistry practice.

Since she discovered she was a witch five years ago, Hermione could feel the distance slowly grow between her and her parents. They still loved her as their little girl, just like she love them dearly. However, it became painfully apparent to her that they could not comprehend the events that were happening in the wizarding world, the world that she now called her own.

She had tried to explain to them the return of Lord Voldemort last summer. However, other than thinking the dark wizard as some sort of a gangster, her parents only advised that she stick with her study and stay focused. She thought about explaining to them about the war, but held her tongue thinking it would only worry them.

When she returned from Hogwarts this year, she didn't even mention the battle at Ministry of Magic. She knew by telling them about it, she would simply give her dad a heart attack, and send her mum into hysteria. To make everything worse, if she shared the detail of the events with them, she was sure that they would never let her return to the wizarding world again. Her parents would do anything to keep their little girl away from harm, just like any good parents would.

As she sat in her mother's garden she thought about the past few months, remembering the terrible night at the Ministry, the death of Sirius Black, and the sadness on Harry's face when they were on their way home on Hogwarts Express.

Could there be a better way to get rid of Voldemort? She thought to herself. Subconsciously, her hand slowly reached up to the time turner dangling on a golden chain on her neck. This was a question she had been pondering for days.

To the contrary of what Harry and Ron had thought, Hermione never returned her time turner after their third year. She didn't use it again to take more classes; but since Professor McGonagall never asked for her to give it back, Hermione "conveniently" forgot about it too. The thought of why no wizards had used the time turner to go back in time and fix the problems before they could start had always intrigued her. Most recently, Hermione began to wonder just why no one came up with the idea to go back in time and destroy the Dark Lord before he could come into power.

Perhaps no one would volunteer for such a dangerous task? She first wondered. But after recalling the Order members' bravery fighting the Death Eaters, she seriously doubted that was the reason. Could it be because if someone had gone back into time, they would not be able to return? She frowned as she continued to explore the possibilities in her head. It would indeed become a terrible sacrifice if one was to go back in time and then get stuck in the past.

She had read the instruction manual for the time turner front to back many times when she first received it from Professor McGonagall. She knew the time turner could not bring one forward in time. But the manual never said that after one was sent backwards, the wizard or the witch could not fast forward the time turner to return to the present.

It had always been Hermione's complaint when someone purposely omitted certain information in instruction manuals. And this seemed just like one of those cases. As she always did when she encountered a problem, Hermione set out and performed some experiments, determined to find the answer to her hypothesis.

She started out by turning the time turner one hour back. Instead of reliving that one hour, she turned the locket towards the opposite direction to see if the "fast forward" function existed. To her pleasant surprise, it worked. But Hermione was always careful with her research. So she tried a few more times. One time she sent herself back a week and returned to the present day within a minute.

Now that Hermione tested the functionality of the time turner, she was even further confused. If a time turner allowed one to go back in time and return to the present, why didn't anyone think of using it? Could it really be possible that she was the first one who ever thought of this? Or... Unless... there was some other limitations of the magical gadget.

Hermione looked down at her wrist watch. Her parents wouldn't be home for another couple of hours. Drawing a deep breath, she decided to try something else... and see if she had guessed it right about the limitation of the time turner.

Pulling it out from under her T-shirt she carefully held the time turner in her hand. She pulled the knob out to the farthest it could go, so that each turn would not be for an hour, but for an entire month. As she turned the golden knob she counted quietly. And finally, a smile spread across her face. She was right, there was a limit as how far the time turner could go. If her count was correct, she should be heading towards exactly fourteen years into the past.

Letting go of the golden knob, Hermione waited. There was only one way to find the answer of an experiment: experience it yourself.

When the world around her stopped spinning, Hermione found herself standing in the middle of a patch of tall grass.

"Hey! What are you doing in my yard? Get out!" An unfriendly voice from the second floor window startled Hermione.

Hermione looked up quickly and saw the face of a grumpy old man. He looked at her irritably and tried to wave her away with his bony hands.

Sticking her tongue out briefly, she murmured a quick "sorry" before running out of the yard. Silently she was cursing herself for not remembering, that her parents only moved to this place about ten years ago. She had completely overlooked the possibility of her trespassing as she sent herself so far back into the past.

Standing in the street corner outside the house that would become her home in four more years, Hermione thought about her options. She could simply fast forward the time turner and go home. But what a waste of magic if she did that! After all, it was not like she would be sending herself so far back into the past every other day. She quickly concluded that she should at least do a little bit of sightseeing. It might just be pure fun to see her best friends in their adorable little toddler outfits.

She had no idea how to get to Ron's house without using Magic. She was still under age by the Ministry's standard, although she looked quite a bit older thanks to her frequent usage of the time turner in her third year and during her other experimental trips into the past. Without aparation, she could only think of taking the typical muggle transportation. She was thankful for the little muggle money she had in her jeans pocket. Waving down a cab, she was soon on her way to the neighborhood of Little Whinging.

It didn't take her long to find Number Four Privet Drive. Harry's aunt and uncle had a habit of keeping their front yard perfectly neat. They had the greenest grass and the most organized flowerbed in the neighborhood. It was a nice looking house.

Hermione always knew that Harry didn't like to be back to his aunt and uncle's place. Since he never gave her a lot of the specific reasons, Hermione could only guess that they didn't get along very well. Could it be some teenage boy issues with grownups? She wasn't sure. But she was sure that a little boy that was barely two-years-old would get plenty of affection from his relatives.

Walking quietly in front of Number Four Privet Drive, Hermione casually looked towards the window. She quickly spotted a young woman standing by the window, who she presumed to be Harry's Aunt Petunia. The young woman was carrying a large blond boy in her arms. From the look of the boy's face, he had to be just about two or three. Looking at the boy's size however, Hermione frowned. She had babysat a couple of small children living in her parents' neighborhood in the past couple of summer holidays. None of them looked so huge when they turned two or three.

To Hermione's delight she found a small raised flowerbed right across the street from Number Four Privet Drive. Quietly she sat down, pretending to be taking a rest after a long walk. When she looked up and saw Harry's aunt casting a curious look towards her. Quickly Hermione looked away as if enjoying the view of the neighborhood.

Harry's aunt soon lost her interest in the teenage girl sitting in the street, and went on about her business. Hermione frowned again after a while, failing to see any evidence of the existence of Harry. Could she have counted the years wrong? If this was fourteen years ago, Harry should have been living with his aunt and uncle for almost a year. Where could a little two-year-old be?

By the time when a car pulled up to the driveway of Number Four Privet Drive, Hermione found herself hiding behind the bushes next to the house. She could hear Harry's uncle greeted his wife and his son cheerfully. Her frown deepened when she still could not spot a single glance or hear a single mention of Harry.

When Hermione still couldn't hear or see anything after dinner, she was about to give up and take her journey back to the future. Suddenly, she heard a cry coming out from inside the house. It was certainly not the unusually big boy, as he was still making a huge mess with an ice-cream cone at the dinner table.

"Shut up!" Harry's uncle bellowed towards another corner of the house.

Hermione's heart skipped a beat. Was it Harry that the man was addressing?

It didn't take long before the Dursleys went back to their business and eventually retired to their bedrooms upstairs. Throughout the entire evening, not once did another boy appear in the living room or dining room as far as Hermione could see. Feeling the curiosity consuming her, Hermione waited until the last light was out before quietly pushed open the backdoor leading to the kitchen and tiptoed into the house.

As she walked by the staircase, Hermione suddenly heard a little whimpering sound coming from the cupboard. What was that? A sick puppy? She couldn't tell. Quietly she opened the cupboard door and was shocked by what was in front of her.

In the deem light from the streetlamp, she could see a large cardboard box inside the cupboard. Inside the box, among a worn-out blanket, was a small boy with messy black hair. He was sitting in the corner of the box holding the blanket tight in his arms. Tear stains ran through his abnormally red cheeks. His bright green eyes looked almost haunted because of the dark circles underneath them. Seeing Hermione in front of him, the little boy gave out another whimper, "milky? wawa? Harry want mama."

Hermione drew a sharp breath to keep herself from crying out. "Oh Harry!" She reached over and the boy quickly climbed into her arms. It was obvious that he had not been held for a long time.

Looking around the cupboard Hermione saw two empty cups and a piece of half-eaten toast. "Are you hungry?" She asked quietly.

"Wawa... Harry thirsty." The boy in her arms answered in a timid little voice.

Trying her best not to make any noise Hermione found a cup in the kitchen. Harry sat quietly in her arms while watching her getting the water ready. When she finally handed the cup to him the boy drank it greedily. Frowning at the boy's bright read cheek, Hermione touch his forehead briefly, only to find herself letting out a small gasp.

"You are running a fever Harry!" Her whisper almost sounded too loud.

When Harry finished his water she didn't know what to do. Hermione held the boy in her arms for a long time until she thought he had fallen asleep. She wanted to comfort him and hold him longer. But she also knew she would be in very deep trouble if she was discovered.

Taking a few deep breaths she finally made up her mind, and walked back to the cupboard where she first found the little boy. Gently she put the boy down on top of the blanket, hoping he would stay asleep.

But Harry immediately looked up at her as she lowered him down. He reached out for her again with his little arms and he began to cry, "Huggy... huggy... mommy!"

"No," Hermione could feel tears burning in her eyes, "I'm not your mommy. I'm so sorry Harry. Please don't cry. I have to go!"

But the boy continued to cry as Hermione put him down into the box. Her eyes widened in fear when she suddenly heard footsteps coming down from upstairs. Quickly she closed the cupboard door and hid in the dark hallway.

"I swear Petunia! The little freak is going to kill me one of these days. He can stay quiet during the day but not at night? What's his problem? Doesn't he know that I have to work in the morning!"

The scurrying footsteps turned out to belong to Aunt Petunia. She was obviously very irritated that her nephew's cry had woken up the entire house in the middle of the night. She opened the cupboard door quickly and turned on the light. The sudden brightness surprised Harry and briefly stopped his cry.

"What do you want!" Petunia Dursley spat coldly. "Go to sleep!"

Before she could finish the last word, a new cry reached her ears from upstairs. "Oh Dudders!" She yelped, before slamming the cupboard door and running upstairs.

The slamming of the cupboard door obviously frightened the little boy inside. Hermione soon heard Harry begin to cry again. However, the two boys' echoing cries were soon swamped by a bellowing shout coming out of an upstairs bedroom.

"I've had enough! Petunia! I need him gone! Send him back where he came from! You choose, either him, or Dudder and me!"

Hermione could hear Petunia's whispering words. She was first speaking rather quietly, but eventually she also raised her voice, "Oh believe me! I've had enough of this too! Don't worry Dudders. I will take care of that little freak in the morning! He'll be gone by the time daddy comes home tomorrow night. I promise!"

Terrified at what she had heard, Hermione didn't dare to leave until she could find out what Petunia meant by "taking care of that little freak". For the rest of the night she hid behind the bushes, couldn't stop worrying about the consequences of her visit.

Petunia was up bright and early. Hermione was surprised to see Harry in the living-room with his cousin, and was further surprised as Harry's aunt began to dress him in some apparently new clothes.

After dressing the two boys, Petunia picked up her son and asked Harry to follow her. Hermione followed them as they came to a neighbor's house. Petunia exchanged a few words with an old woman before handing the blond boy over. It took at least ten minutes before Petunia and the old woman could calm the blond boy down from his tantrum. Pressing her lips tight, Petunia took Harry's hand and called a cab.

And that was the beginning of Hermione's journey to the neighborhood called Spinner's End.

* * *

"Miss, are you sure you want to get off here? Do you want me to wait for you?" The taxi driver's question pulled Hermione back from her thoughts.

Looking ahead, Hermione saw Petunia talking to her cab driver as well, apparently asking him to wait. "Yes please," Hermione paid the driver and answered quickly, "Hopefully this is just a quick stop. I may need your help when she decides to leave."

Quietly Hermione walked along the dusty brick buildings and soon caught up with Petunia and Harry. The brown smog gave her a good cover. Petunia was completely not aware of being followed.

Petunia stopped in front of a small house at the end of the road and began knocking on the door impatiently. When the door finally opened, a tall man with shoulder-long black hair dressed in a black coat appeared in the door way.

Hermione covered her mouth quickly to muffle her surprised gasp. Age didn't change him much, at least not from a distance. Apparently, Severus Snape had always looked the same!

"Petunia Evans..." Hermione could hear the surprise in Snape's cold voice. "What are you doing here?"

"You! And all of you lot!" It was obvious that Petunia had prepared her harsh statement way ahead of time, "You need to take responsibility for this. We've had enough! We've never asked for a boy to be dropped off at the front door of our house. We have no interest in raising him. He is a freak like you and he belongs with people like you. I have no way of finding Dumbledore or anyone else. But I know where to find you! Severus Snape! This is entirely your fault! If you didn't get Lily all excited about those stupid magic tricks, if you didn't encourage her to go to that freak school with you, if she didn't meet that loser husband of hers from school, none of this would have happened. This kid should have never been pushed into our lives!"

Without waiting for a response Petunia shoved the little boy into the arms of a dumbfounded Severus Snape, before turning on her heels and began to run.

It took a couple seconds for Snape to register what had just happened. He gave the boy a quick stare and began to go after Petunia. "But... Wait!"

"He is your problem. Not mine!" Petunia screamed before she hopped into the cab waiting by the curb side. The car breaks screeched as the driver stepped on the gas driving away, leaving the wizard in black standing alone in the middle of the street.

Still hiding in a small alley way next to Snape's house, Hermione watched as Snape walked past her with Harry still in his arms. She couldn't hear what he was grunting as he walked up the steps leading to his front door. But as he turned and looked back towards the street before getting inside, Hermione could have sworn she saw fear in the man's dark eyes, as if that was even remotely possible...

* * *

**_The first chapter is a little longer than my liking. But I thought there was a premise that must be set. Having a twenty-some-year-old Snape dealing with a two-year-old Harry is going to be interesting to watch. That is the least I can promise for our next chapter._**

**_I hope to hear from you. Thanks for reading!_**


	2. Facing Snape

**_Dear Stepphiebob22, dontleavetonight, and nonwritten, thank you so much for your encouragements. And thank you all for following and favoring the story. _**

**_As I was writing about the two-year-old Harry, I was trying to remember what it was like when my little girl was at that age. A friend of mine once told me when I was stressing out with taking care of my baby girl, that she would "never be this small again." Oh wasn't she right. My beautiful eight-year-old makes me a very proud mother now. But boy how I miss my little baby girl that was still small enough to fit easily in my arms..._**

**_Enough about my own sentimental memories... Here is how the story goes... Happy weekend!_**

**_All characters belong to the brilliant J. K. Rowling._**

* * *

**Chapter Two - Facing Snape**

Hermione's heart was caught in her throat as she watched Harry disappeared behind the front door of the house that belonged to Severus Snape.

It was a terrible experience witnessing young Harry being a victim of child abuse. But that gave her no excuse for her mistake. It was probably a million times better solution if she had phoned the police and tipped them off with her discovery. Instead, she made the little boy cry in the middle of the night, got him permanently kicked out of his last relatives' house, and sent to the middle of this depressing neighborhood! What had she done!

Hermione couldn't believe what she just heard. She had no idea that Harry's aunt knew Snape. Apparently Harry's mother did too. All of that didn't matter much though, other than the fact that Harry was now left alone with Snape. Snape! Hermione groaned inwardly. Since the first day of class at Hogwarts, Snape seemed to hate Harry with a passion. And now, a mortifying thought occurred to Hermione: she had just sent her best friend into the serpent's lair.

She was so distracted by her own thoughts that she gasped in surprise when the cab that was waiting on her pulled up to the side of the road.

"Miss, are you coming or what?" The driver asked.

"No thank you." was all Hermione needed to say before the driver happily sped down the dusty road and quickly disappeared in the brownish smog.

Silence returned to the rundown neighborhood. Although she didn't have to, Hermione held her breath as she approached a window of Snape's house. Carefully she crawled along the side of the house and found herself under the windowsill. Pressing her head to the wall, she tried to listen. What would Snape want to do with Harry now?

After waiting for a long moment and not being able to hear a single sound, Hermione slowly pulled herself up and peeked through the window. From where she was she could see an old sofa opposite the window, with little Harry sitting in it. Snape was pacing in front of the boy, stroking his chin with his pale long fingers. Harry was staring at the wizard curiously, not making a sound.

After a few moments Snape stopped his pacing, but still kept a careful distance from Harry, as if the little boy was a dangerous wild animal that was capable of attacking him unexpectedly. Looking down at the small child sitting in the sofa Snape began in his cold smooth voice, "Mr. Potter..."

Hermione raised her eyebrows. This was how Snape would address a two-year-old? Did Harry even know his last name was Potter at this age? From the window Hermione could only see the backside of Snape, but she could imagine how intimidating his deep dark eyes must be as he stared at her best friend, well, a much younger version of her best friend.

"Mr. Potter," Snape continued on, "would you care to explain what just happened?"

Hermione shook her head in disbelieve. If this was under a different circumstance, she was sure she would burst into tears from laughing too hard. She had never expected Snape to be good at communicating with children, other than intimidating them at school. But this? Was he really so clueless with a child?

Little Harry apparently was not concerned by the wizard's question. He continued to look at Snape with his curious bright green eyes.

Snape let out a sigh before continuing on, "Well, perhaps you can use a little help. Your aunt was, obviously, upset about something. I would like a full explanation if you want me to help you find a solution to your problem. The best option of course would be contacting Professor Dumbledore with this... unexpected development. Unfortunately however, as you may not be aware, Professor Dumbledore may still be traveling outside the country at the moment. Therefore I regret to say, more to myself than to you, that you may have to stay here for a little while. But let me assure you, I will try all I can to make your stay here as short as it possibly can be."

Harry watched the man in front of him quietly and listened to his strange language. He wasn't afraid of him at all. Why should he? This tall man didn't raise his voice, nor did he raise his hand like the scary monster that he was told to call Uncle Vernon. His velvet voice sounded calming, especially when Harry couldn't get much out of those complicated big words. Rubbing his eyes, Harry let out a yawn.

"Mr. Potter!" Snape's patience was wearing thin, "Are you listening? Do you understand what I am telling you?"

"Harry tired." was the answer Snape received from the little boy. Snape let out a low growl and ran his hand through his dark hair, clearly frustrated with the task at hand.

Suddenly something outside the window caught the boy's attention. "Huggy! Mommy!" He pointed at Hermione cheerfully.

Hermione quickly got down to the ground and winced. _This is going to be bad... really bad!_ She could feel blood rushed to her face. What should she say when she had to face Snape?

She didn't have the time to prepare for an answer. Within seconds after Harry pointed at her, a dark shadow loomed over her and a strong hand grabbed her by the arm and pulled her up to her feet.

"What are you doing lurking outside my window?" Snape hissed, "Who are you?"

"I... I..." Hermione looked at those dark eyes of her future potions master and felt the entire world closing in on her.

"Huggy?" A little voice came into her rescue.

Hermione looked down as she felt a little hand grabbing her fingers. Snape noticed the little boy following him out of the house as well. He frowned and said to Hermione in a stern low voice, "Get. Inside."

Snape quickly shut the door as he pushed Hermione into his house. Hermione could feel herself trembling as she heard Snape warded the door. The only person that was really cheerful at the moment was little Harry. "Huggy huggy! Mommy huggy!" He reached up his little arms in front of the only person who had shown him any sign of love in such a very long time.

"I am asking... who are you?" Snape crossed his arms over his chest and asked again.

"I... I..." Hermione picked little Harry up into her arms, still not sure what she should do. "I am not his mother." She finally found something she could say.

"I know that." Snape answered in an even tone, but Hermione noticed a little bit of softness in his voice, which quickly disappeared as he went on. "That does not answer my question. Who are you? And what are you doing here? I would advise you to answer truthfully to my questions, as not doing so would grant you unpleasant consequences that you can only imagine in your worst nightmare." He went on darkly.

_Oh I have a very good idea about that!_ Hermione thought to herself. "I am... er... Hermione." She had decided that was no use to lie about her name. Snape would definitely be her professor again when she returned to Hogwarts in a couple of months. And there would be no way the wizard would forget who she was when he saw her again in the future.

"Hermione what?" Snape asked impatiently, "And why are you here?"

"Granger... Hermione Granger. I... I followed Harry's aunt here." Hermione answered, _that was truthfully_, she took note for herself.

"I have never heard of you... You followed her? Why?" Snape raised an eyebrow.

"Because I... I am... I am Harry's..." Hermione wasn't sure how to start her confession. This was going to be too difficult to explain. How would Snape, or anyone, understand it if she said she was Harry's best friend. A sixteen-year-old or seventeen, whatever her actual age should be, was not expected to have a best friend that was barely two! Should she start from telling Snape about the return of Voldemort? The battle of the Ministry? Or even earlier than that? If she didn't give Snape enough background information, how would she justify using the time tuner the way she did?

"Harry's what?" Snape was getting impatient with her by the second, "his babysitter?"

That's it. A way out, temporarily at least. "Yes I am." Hermione took a deep breath. "I am his babysitter and I've grown... a little attached to him lately."

Snape looked at Hermione suspiciously as he began to pace around her, "His babysitter... from Petunia's neighborhood?"

Hermione nodded in response. "I started watching him just this summer." She tried to make her story a little more convincing, "I happened to have some... problems at home and was going to leave this morning. Then I saw his aunt taking him. They, his aunt and uncle, haven't been nice to him, so I was... worried."

Snape's frown deepened, "Are you a mug..." He fell short from finishing the sentence, "do you know magic?"

Hermione's mind was racing. She did reveal to him her name, but then she also just lied to him about who she really was. There really wasn't a simply way to stay honest any more. If she said she was a witch, then she would have to answer to why she was here again, and why he didn't know her from Hogwarts, and who knows what other questions he would ask her. Or, she could continue to pretend to be Harry's babysitter, and make her life a little bit easier at the moment.

Making up her mind, Hermione looked up at Snape with the most convincing confused expression she could come up with, "Magic?" She asked tentatively and shook her head. Without waiting for Snape's response, she quickly dropped her gaze back to the floor.

She would pretend to be a muggle, and pretend that she knew nothing about Snape being a wizard. She knew there were rules about not using magic on muggles, so perhaps that would protect her from Snape's interrogations? Snape wouldn't risk being questioned by the Ministry and use magic on her, right? Or Would he?

She heard Snape's pacing stopped and could feel his intense stare on her. A moment later he asked, "What is the matter with him?"

"What?" She looked up in surprise, and realized the wizard was actually looking at Harry instead of her.

Looking back at the little boy in her arms, she noticed the same bright red cheeks she saw last night, and the dark circles under his eyes. Before she could answer, Snape suddenly took a step closer and reached out for Harry. The next thing Snape did completely took Hermione by surprise.

The wizard gently put one hand behind Harry's head and the other on Harry's forehead. It was such a caring gesture that Hermione found completely out of character for Snape.

Ignoring Hermione's surprised glance Snape quickly walked out of the room. A moment later he returned with a small cup of green liquid that Hermione immediately recognized as a fever reducing potion. Snape handed the cup to her and gestured her to give it to Harry.

Remembering having a dose from Madam Pomfrey, Hermione was sure the potion would taste as bitter as it would be fourteen years from now. Just to make sure, she raised the cup to her lips and gave it a taste.

"Are you mad?" Snape barked, "I meant to give it to him. Not you!"

"Of course I know it's medicine for Harry." Hermione didn't know where she got the nerve to answer her professor so bluntly, "But this is bloody nasty tasting. You can't expect him to drink this! ... Sir." It was an afterthought that she realized she was talking back at her teacher.

Snape growled, "You don't know anything. It will help him."

Hermione pressed her lips tight together as she looked back down at the cup in her hand. When she looked up she asked, "do you have any sugar?"

Snape arched an eyebrow at her question but didn't answer. Instead he pointed at a small tea set on an end table in another corner of the room. Hermione found a small jar of sugar and put a couple generous spoon-full into the cup. Stirring it a little she handed the cup to Harry.

"You are running a fever Harry," She began to explain to the little boy, "This doesn't taste very good but it is going to make you better. I need you to take big sips and drink it very fast okay? Can you be a brave little boy for me and drink this down real quick?"

Harry looked at the potion in the cup and looked back up at Hermione. "Green." He said cheerfully.

"Yes that's right. It's green. I want you to drink it now." Hermione gave the boy a small smile.

Harry was indeed a good little boy and he did just what he was told. When he finished the potion he handed the cup back to Hermione. Twitching his little nose he said, "Yuck."

Hermione couldn't help but let out a small laugh. When she looked back at Snape, she noticed a funny expression in his face. He wasn't smiling, but rather seemed, amused.

"Miss Granger..." Snape suddenly began with his formal tone again, "Would it be possible if you could... stay a little while with Mr... uh... Harry, while I tend to some business?"

_It's not like I am in a hurry to return to the future and wait for you to send me to detention._ Hermione thought to herself and nodded politely. But her curiosity grew when Snape disappeared into another room and closed the door behind him. What kind of business did he need to deal with while having a small child and a stranger in his house?

Still with Harry in her arms Hermione pressed her head on the door and listened.

"Albus, are you there?" Hermione heard an unfamiliar urgency in Snape's cool voice, but there was no answer. "Damn..." She heard him say.

She couldn't jump away fast enough when he suddenly opened the door.

"What are you doing? Are you eavesdropping?" He snarled.

"Oh no! I... I was..." Hermione completely ran out of answers this time. But then she heard a strange noise coming from Harry's tummy, and it gave her a great idea. "I was just wondering if this was the kitchen. Harry is hungry. Do you have any food?"

Snape narrowed his eyes at her but then he answered coolly, "This room, for your information, is my study. It is absolutely off limit. Do you understand? Off limit!"

Hermione nodded quickly and she said, "I'm really sorry Sir. I was just trying to find him something to eat."

Snape frowned, this time at the boy, not at Hermione. "What does he eat?"

"What do you have?" Hermione didn't want to make Harry sound like a picky eater. The last thing she wanted was to set Harry's relationship with Snape out on the wrong foot under this very strange new circumstance.

"I have bread, an assortment of fine cheese, tea, and..." Snape searched his memory briefly, "some firewhiskey."

"Firewhiskey?" Hermione's eyes widened, "You would give that to a two-year-old?"

"I was answering your question." Snape drawled, "You asked me what I have."

After an uncomfortable moment of silence Snape let out a sigh, "I will go get a few things." He paused for a moment and said again, "Don't you touch anything. Do you understand?"

Hermione nodded timidly, and asked, "Would it be okay if I give him a little bit of bread and cheese when we wait?"

Snape grunted something that Hermione couldn't make out, but managed to give her a curt nod, before walking out of the front door. But before Hermione could let out a breath of ease he came back again. Hermione's eyes widened in shock. She didn't know magic could shorten a shopping trip by so much. But then she realized the true reason why Snape was back so soon.

"What should I get?" He looked at her blankly and asked.

For the first time since Hermione stood in front of Snape on this day she took a proper look at the wizard, and realized the young man in front of her was indeed a very different person from the one that she knew from the future. Snape's long hair only provided an unsuccessful cover for his not so mature face. His eyes were still deep and dark, but there was a sense of uncertainty lingering in his gaze. Hermione would never thought in a million years that her intimidating potions master would ask her for instructions.

"Er... milk, eggs, butter, vegetables, bananas, pasta, and..." Hermione stopped abruptly, realizing she was asking a lot.

"And what?" Snape prompt.

"Er... a chicken if it's not too much trouble." She almost hated herself for making such a request.

To her surprise, her elaborated shopping list didn't seem to upset Snape. He just gave her another curt nod and ran out the door.

Hermione's jaw dropped to the floor as she continued staring at the spot where Snape was standing a few seconds ago. "Oh Harry," she groaned, "I just ordered Snape to go grocery shopping. What have I done! I am so very dead now. He is going to hex me to the next millennium when I go back to Hogwarts in two months."

* * *

**_I wonder what Severus was thinking while being bossed around by a young woman. You think? Look forward to your review._**


	3. An Out of the World Arrangement

**_Stepphiebob22, dontleavetonight, toriashley, NAO-chan33, solosinger1, Nutters4Potter, PromiseMeCourage, and worrywart, thank you for your reviews. And thank you all for following and favoring the story. The story alerts that I received in the past few days were overwhelming. I can sense your high expectations! I do have quite some plans for this time traveling adventure. I promise you ups and downs, laughter and tears. I only wish I could have more time to put the words down on paper soon enough._**

**_All characters belong to the brilliant J. K. Rowling._**

* * *

**Chapter Three - An Out of the World Arrangement**

Severus Snape's mind was practically blank as he left the owl post and walked down the cobble stone street of Diagon Alley.

Since the day he made his promise that he would help Dumbledore protect Lily's son, he had been preparing for many possible scenarios that might require his assistance. He never stopped studying and practicing advanced magic: charms, spells, counter jinx and curses... Because he knew, as the protector of the boy-who-lived, he must be ready to take on any powerful dark magic. Severus' magical abilities grew with the passing of every day, and he had confidently believed that he was prepared, as he could have ever been. He was determined; he had no fear; that was, until when Petunia Dursley shoved the little boy into his arms. That was when he realized: he was not prepared... not for this.

Severus had never held another human being in his life, let alone a toddler. Was that what this little boy should be called? A toddler? Or a baby? Or neither? Severus didn't know the fine line between those definitions.

As far as Severus was concerned, it would be a much easier task handling a pot of screaming mandrake than dealing with a child this size. He had obtained thorough knowledge in a great variety of magical creatures, plants or animals alike; and he knew exactly where to find more information about them if he needed to. But not toddlers... They were never mentioned in the books that Severus studied throughout the years - the subject simply never came up. Would they break if you hold them too tight? What would you do with them when they cry? Would they get sick if you don't feed them right? And just what exactly should you feed them with? One thing was very clear to Severus, the task of raising a small child cannot be accomplished with a wave of his wand.

Drawing a deep breath Severus began to go over his current options. He had no one to turn to. Not only because he didn't have any friends to ask for help, but also because of the secretive plans that Dumbledore had discussed with him long ago. Albus was the only one who knew about his feelings towards Lily, and his promise to protect Harry Potter. Severus was not going to reveal his childhood connections with Lily's family. He could not risk drawing any attention from the other former Death Eaters. If Dumbledore was right, if Voldemort was to return, Severus would be ready to play his role as Dumbledore's spy, and would return to the Dark Lord as a Death Eater. With that plan in mind, it would only be wise to make sure that no one knew about his intention to protect Harry Potter.

Severus knew many families in the wizarding world would be jumping up and down trying to offer their help. However, in order to maintain his cover he could not make the contact. Dumbledore would have to do it, if only that old man could actually stay in the country when he was needed.

Severus let out a low growl as he thought of his situation. Then his thoughts went to the muggle babysitter that came upon his door step, or rather, lurked outside his window. Severus wasn't sure if he could trust her, and that was why he cast a spell before he left his house. The spell had sealed off all of the entrances, so Severus knew she would not be able to run away with the boy. He wished he could look into her mind using legilimency, yet her being a muggle presented some problems. Explaining to the Ministry about using magic on a muggle was the last thing that Severus wanted to have to deal with. He already had too many enemies at the Ministry when Dumbledore personally vouched for him as he stood trial as a Death Eater. Many unconvinced Ministry officials and convinced former Death Eaters would be more than happy to send him to Azkaban, only if they could catch him make the smallest mistake.

Severus had to rely on Harry's reaction to the young woman to confirm her claim of being his babysitter. She did seem like she knew what she was doing with the boy, and did seem as if she genuinely cared about the child. But then there was her mentioning of her running away from home. Severus wasn't sure if he liked that kind of rebellious behavior in a babysitter, but he did take note to himself that he didn't give her a chance to explain her situation. Perhaps, he thought, he could leverage her situation and ask her to stay for a couple of days to help out with the boy. And then, hopefully Dumbledore would have received his owl and come up with a plan to remove that little creature from his house.

With the plan slowly forming in his head, Severus relaxed his twisted brows. He went to the store and got everything he was told to get by the muggle babysitter, and picked up a few other things of his own choice.

When Severus got back to his house, the first thing he saw as he walked through the front door was the young woman scrubbing the floor with a brush next to a bucket. Next to her on the sofa, the little boy was fast asleep.

* * *

It took Hermione much efforts to explain to little Harry that she was not his mother. After many trials and error, the little boy finally twisted his tongue and began to call her "Auntie Mione". Hermione had a really good belly laugh thinking how funny it would be when she returns back to the future, sharing all the details with Harry and Ron.

"I'm going to tell you to listen to your Auntie Mione next time you and Ron come up with any bad ideas Harry." She couldn't stop giggling as the little boy watched her curiously. "You are such a cute little boy." Hermione handed the boy a piece of bread and some cheese.

As the little boy munching on his food, Hermione took a good look at him. He was definitely Harry, with the same black hair and same green eyes. Yet he also looked so different, and it's not just because he wasn't wearing any glasses. As a typical toddler, his head seemed so much bigger in proportion to his body, and his eyes seemed so big and bright. His wide grins could melt anyone's heart. He was not Hermione's best friend Harry Potter, not really. He was just a cute little boy what was barely two years old.

Harry's stomach apparently did not agree with the potion and the food. Just as Hermione brought him back from the kitchen to the living room, Harry threw up. He was instantly frightened by what he did, and for the first time since the night before, the little boy began to cry. "Sowwy Auntie Mione... Sowwy" Tears rushed down his cheeks.

Hermione was surprised by his reaction. The boy was obviously scared. What did he expect her to do? Did he think she was going to punish him for something he could not control? Hermione was glad she had the practice of babysitting little children in her parents' neighborhood. The skills she had acquired through that kind of experience definitely helped as she calmed little Harry down. As he finally fell asleep she put him down onto the sofa. And then she began to worry... How was Snape going to react when he returned to this mess? Hurrying to the kitchen she found a bucket and a brush, and she quickly found herself working hard on the spot on the floor. She would not let Snape use this as an excuse to punish little Harry. Completely absorbed in her task, she didn't even notice it when Snape walked through the front door with a bag full of grocery.

Feeling that she was being watched, Hermione stopped the scrubbing and looked up, just to find the deep dark eyes from her future Potions Master.

"Oh..." She jumped a little, "Sorry, I didn't hear you come in. Harry... uh... he threw up. But I'm almost done here."

Snape didn't say anything as he walked past her into the kitchen. A moment later he reemerged from the hallway and he said, "You can leave it here. Why don't you go see if you can use any of the things I just bought and make him some... dinner."

Hermione nodded quietly, trying to hide her surprise as she listened to Snape's calm words. Clearly he wasn't as upset as she had expected him to be.

She found a paper bag filled to the top on the counter top. He did in fact follow her instructions very well, and managed to get everything that she had mentioned, including some additional items of fruit and vegetables. As she took everything out of the bag, Hermione recalled her mother commenting on how her father always left things out from the shopping list that he was given. "Men never pay good attention to these things." Her mother once said. Well, apparently Snape was not one of those kinds. Hermione held back a small smile.

Snape returned to the kitchen in just a couple of minutes. Hermione knew for a fact that he cleaned the floor with a wave of his wand. She would have done the same if she was allowed to use magic. But she didn't comment on it, pretending not to notice his efficiency.

"I think I will make some chicken soup. It'll probably be good for Harry. I will also make some chicken salad. There should be plenty of leftovers for at least a couple of days for both of you." Hermione explained as she looked for the pots and pans in the kitchen.

Putting the bucket and the brush away, Snape began to pace in the kitchen, stroking his chin with his long fingers. A moment later he began, in his cool smooth voice, "Miss Granger, I believe I owe you a proper self-introduction."

Hermione was slightly surprised by his words and she looked up at him curiously.

"My name is Severus Snape. I am... an acquaintance of Harry's mother's." He went on. "I wonder if it would be too much to ask for you to consider delaying your departure. I was hoping you could stay here for a short period of time, say, two or three days, and help me with the boy, until I find a more permanent solution for him."

"Oh," Hermione's eyes widened. She was torn. On one hand, she did want to stay until she knew for sure that Harry was going to be safe in this past timeline that was altered by her. On the other hand, however, she wanted to leave as soon as she could, so that she could return to the time where she belonged and stopped meddling with the past.

Sensing her hesitation, Snape narrowed his eyes, "You did mention that you had some problems at home, and was planning on running away."

"Er... yes... but..." Hermione suddenly realized she probably should have thought more carefully before telling those lies.

"I will pay you a fair wage." Snape went on, "and it will only be temporary. Unless… if you would like me to escort you back to your parents' house this evening? I am sure they did not appreciate you leaving without a proper notice." The Slytherin side of Snape could not be clearer as he laid out his offer.

"No! I don't need you escorting me back!" Hermione clenched her teeth. How silly of her to think that the young Snape was any different! He was just as cunning as his older self. Sensing no way out of the bargain, Hermione signed, "It's just that I thought I would be at my cousin's place by dinner time, so I didn't pack anything to spend the night."

After a long pause she heard Snape said, "I see... That can be arranged."

* * *

It felt awfully strange for all three of them to sit at the table in Snape's dining room. They ate their dinner in complete silence, all seemed to be very out of place.

Harry watched the two adults next to him with great interest. The little boy could not remember when it was the last time when he had his meal at the table with other people. Although he never liked it, he did get used to being locked up in a closet and eating whatever was given to him in a box. His attention quickly moved away from Auntie Mione, his new best friend, and settled at the man with long black hair and a big nose.

"Daddy!" Harry suddenly called out cheerfully.

Hermione noticed Snape's shoulders tensed upon hearing the boy. His gaze never left his plate as he frowned. A moment later his jaw clenched as he answered in a cold and stern voice, "I am NOT your father."

Feeling her heart racing in her chest Hermione quickly addressed the boy, "No Harry. He is not daddy. He is Mister Snape."

"Miter..." The little boy tried to follow but the phrase quickly became a tongue twister.

Snape closed his eyes briefly and let out a sigh, "You can call me Severus."

"Sev!" The boy followed happily, "Uncle Sev!"

Snape's frown deepened as he heard the boy calling out his new title. He closed his eyes again and took in a sharp breath. A few moments later he got up from the dinner table, but somehow managed to murmur a "thanks for dinner" before disappearing into his study.

Hermione let out a sigh of relief. She realized she had been doing that a lot every time Snape left the room. He was not going to make her life easy for the next couple of days. She could only hope that it would indeed just be the two or three days as he had promised, and that at the end of all these, Snape wouldn't hold anything against the little boy.

* * *

It was going to be more difficult having the boy in his house than he had expected. Severus poured himself a glass of firewhiskey and sat down by the fireplace. Staring at the flames he recalled how Petunia screamed at him earlier that afternoon, "It's all your fault!..."

He didn't really see much of James Potter in the boy, other than that unruly black hair. All Severus could see in the boy were his bright green eyes, Lily's eyes. And in a way he agreed with Petunia, it was entirely his fault. The whole reason why the boy was sent to the Dursleys, the whole reason why the Dursleys wanted to abandon the boy, the whole reason why the boy was here in his dining room... it was indeed, all his fault.

The boy's calling him "Sev" did not help. The only one person that used to call him by that name was Lily. And then there was Harry calling him his father. It was as if the existence of the boy himself wasn't enough to remind Severus that he had lost the woman he loved to another man. Severus was sure that it was fate's revenge that the boy was now here in his house. Harry was sent here to haunt him, with his mother's eyes, and by calling him "Uncle Sev".

* * *

Hermione knocked on the door leading to Snape's study politely later that evening, "Excuse me Sir, I was wondering where you want Harry to be for the evening, and if you have any... clothes that maybe Harry could borrow. I am going to give him a bath and put him to sleep."

Snape nodded curtly and got up from his chair by the fireplace. He showed Hermione a small guest bedroom where he said Harry could stay. And then he murmured something about "looking for some clothes" and disappeared into another bedroom.

As she was waiting, Hermione drew a bath for Harry. The little boy's eyes were getting droopier by the minute. Chuckling to herself Hermione led the boy to the bathroom and began to undress him. She let out a small cry as she lifted up the boy's shirt, shocked by the signs of abuse in front of her. There were bruises in the shape of a large hand spread over Harry's back, and pinch marks on his legs. The little boy let out a small whimper as Hermione traced the bruises carefully with her fingers. Biting the inside of her cheek, Hermione tried hard but failed to hold back her tears.

When Snape returned with a set of his pajamas that he shrunk with magic, he found Hermione wiping her tears with the back of her hand. "What now? Why are you cr..." Snape's words trailed off as he too noticed the bruises on the boy's back. He walked closer to the child and narrowed his eyes at those marks. "Did you know about this?" he asked Hermione, "How long has this been going on?"

"No I didn't know." Hermione shook her head, "but I know they kept Harry in a box under the staircase."

Hermione could see the anger burning in the wizard's deep dark eyes. She could see his white knuckles as his hands made into tight fists. He dropped off the pajamas on the counter and left the bathroom, only to return quickly with a jar of ointment.

"This will work better if we put it on after his bath." was all he said as he watched patiently while Hermione gave the little boy a bath. After she dried the boy up with a big towel Snape took over. Carefully he put the ointment on every single bruise he could find, and checked a couple more times to make sure that he didn't miss any. For the entire time Hermione dared not say a word. From the look of her future Potions Master's face, she knew it would be a good idea if she did not ask any questions. Snape was thinking up a plan, and she could only hope it was in Harry's best interest.

Later that night, Hermione found herself tossing and turning in a slightly larger bedroom next to Harry's room, dressed in one of Snape's T-shirt that was long enough to be a small dress (it never occurred to Hermione that Snape would own something like a T-shirt). She couldn't get over the fact that she was sleeping in Snape's house, fourteen years in the past. This was all too bizarre. She started her experiment thinking she could find a way to solve problems before they could begin. Instead, she meddled with time, and started a new string of problems that she had no clue how to resolve. All she was hoping at this moment, was that Snape would soon find Harry a safe home, and that she could return to her time, back to her parents' house, and send an owl to Ron and Harry and share with them this out of the world experience.

* * *

**_Have you ever noticed how big babies' eyes are? That's why I don't think Severus could see much of the grown-up version of Harry in the child, and thus, not too much resemblance of James Potter. It'd make it a little easier, although I'm sure Severus didn't think so at the moment._**

**_I sincerely hope this slightly slow tempo is acceptable to you. Our characters are from worlds apart at this point. So it will take some time before they can see eye to eye. I hope you can be patient with me. And as always, I look forward to your reviews._**


	4. All is Good

**_LadyDunla, Stepphiebob22, worrywart, toriashley, dontleavetonight, loli, nonwritten, Nutters4Potter, viola1701e, stephanie duncan, and my guest who pointed out my ridiculous typo, thank you all for your reviews!_**

**_I really appreciate you sharing with me your observations of the characters. I can sense certain expectations from your reviews. After all, it is only natural to draw a conclusion like that when you read a summary that includes the words "SS/HG" and "Romance". While I cannot deny the fact that you will be correct at some point later on, I have to warn you that my plan is to have the story take on some unexpected turns. I hope you will hang in there with me. How should I put it all in perspective for you? Well, let's just say if this story is a journey to the high seas, by the end of this chapter, we will be just about done paddling in the little river outside the village... If you know what I mean... =)_**

**_All characters belong to the brilliant J. K. Rowling._**

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**Chapter Four - "All is Good"**

It was dark outside, probably still in the middle of the night. Hermione was awakened by a heated discussion coming from Snape's study downstairs. She slid out of bed and got down to the floor. She didn't need to try hard to make out the words.

"You didn't see it, Albus. It's child abuse!" It was Snape.

"I am well aware of the situation Severus. Perhaps I could talk to them. But Harry must return to the Dursleys." It was Dumbledore. Apparently the two wizards were having a conversation through the floo network.

"You cannot send him back to those people. I understand that theory of yours. But I don't believe it is the only solution. You cannot expect this kind of blood relatives to seal the protection charm. Those two hold no interest in raising the boy!" Snape raised his voice.

"What would you suggest then Severus?" The Headmaster responded kindly, "This is the most reliable protection. I don't trust leaving Harry with any other ordinary families. When the challenges present themselves, no one could stand in Tom's way. Unless..." The Headmaster paused in the middle of his sentence.

"What? Unless what?" Severus hissed, but suddenly he knew the answer, "Unless if the boy stays with someone who can offer the protections that you can trust?"

"Yes... Severus. You read my mind." The Headmaster answered, still in his calm and kind voice.

It took a very long moment before Hermione heard Severus' voice again. "So be it, Dumbledore. The boy will stay with me."

"I am not expecting that of you!" Dumbledore sounded surprised by Severus' words, "I am merely trying to point out to you that there is no other way! You know nothing about raising a child. No offense Severus, but you have to admit, you have no knowledge in this particular area."

"I can manage." The coolness in Severus' tone almost sounded arrogant, "You might have underestimated me. I made a promise and I intend to keep it. I have to say, Dumbledore, that I am disappointed to see you not having the boy's best interest at heart."

"You misunderstood Severus." Dumbledore let out a soft sigh, "Very well... if you insist. We will see about this. Why don't you give it a try in the next few weeks. Let's meet again in my office at the beginning of term and decide what will be the best long-term solution."

Silence returned to the house. Hermione hurried back to bed when she heard Snape walking up the stairs. She held her breath as she heard Snape's footsteps stopped briefly outside her room. And then she heard him walk over to the room next to hers. The screeching door gave away Snape's next move. Hermione could tell that Snape was standing in the doorway of Harry's bedroom, and was probably observing the sleeping child, but only for a few seconds. He then closed the door quietly, and soon his footsteps disappeared into the opposite side of the house.

Hermione was wide awake by now. She wasn't sure what she should think of the conversation that she just overheard. Why was Dumbledore not bothered by Harry being abused by his aunt and uncle? What promise was Snape referring to? Did he really care for Harry? Was Snape serious about raising Harry all by himself? Was he even capable of doing that? By the time when sleepiness finally returned to Hermione, the sun had already broke through the thin line in the distant horizon, and a ray of faint pale light soon fell on her twisted brows.

* * *

With little Harry in her arms, Hermione came down to the living room the following morning, only to find the dark-hair wizard standing by the fireplace, pinching the bridge of his nose, deep in thought. He looked up at Hermione as he heard her footsteps and greeted her with his deep dark eyes. She took note of the strange expression in his eyes. If she didn't know her future professor, she would have said that the young man looked worried. But knowing Snape, Hermione was sure that he was too presumptuous to let anything bother him. If there was anything, he was probably just annoyed.

But then Snape cleared his throat and began in his velvety cool voice, "Miss Granger, there has been some changes to my plans."

Hermione arched her eyebrows and anticipated Snape's words anxiously.

"I have decided to keep Harry here with me." Snape explained plainly, completely ignoring Hermione's questioning gaze. "With that said, I will double the daily wages that I promised you yesterday," he went on, "only if you could stay a little bit longer, and provide me with some additional assistance."

"How much longer? And what kind of additional assistance?"

"Six weeks, until the end of August. The additional assistance will involve you showing me how to take care of the boy, because I don't have much knowledge regarding raising small children; while you seem to have, a certain amount of expertise."

Hermione's jaw dropped. She was beyond surprised, not only because of the six weeks that he had asked her to stay, which was way longer than she wanted to linger in the past, but also because of the fact that Snape had asked her to show him something he didn't know. Could she trust her own ears? Snape? Admitting that there was something in this world that he didn't already know?

"If you close your mouth you may be able to speak properly and offer me an answer." Snape advised coolly.

"Oh..." Hermione blinked a few times at his comment and frowned. What other options did she have? She messed it all up and got Harry stuck with Snape. The least she could do was to make sure the little boy would end up with an adult that was capable of taking care of him, even if that responsible adult ended up to be Snape. _This is for Harry, not for Snape._ She said to herself. "Okay." She finally answered.

Hermione frowned as she thought she saw Snape's thin lips curled up into a small smile. No... It couldn't be. It must have just been her own imagination.

* * *

Before the sun could reach the top of the trees, Hermione found herself walking down a muggle outdoor shopping mall, with Harry in her arms and Snape trailing behind. She resisted the urge to look around at the colorful fashion only belonged to the eighties, and maintained her focus on the main purpose of their trip: shopping for little Harry.

The first stop they made was to get a stroller. "There is no way I can carry Harry everywhere." She told Snape, "Even _you_ will eventually get tired if you are the one holding him."

"Why can't he walk?" Snape arched an eyebrow.

"Of course he can." Hermione explained, "But if we, or I should say, you, plan on taking him out on shopping trips, you can't expect him to follow you everywhere."

"Why not?" Snape seemed confused.

"Because he is only two years old." Hermione explained, "He will get tired and may even fall asleep when he's out and about with you."

Snape shook his head as he listened, but didn't say another word.

The shopping trip was proven to be a successful one. Within a couple of hours both Snape's hands were full with bags as he continued to follow Hermione, who was now pushing a blue stroller with Harry lying inside, fast asleep. Snape let out a grunt as he switched the bags between his hands. Hermione had to fight back a smile. Without using magic, it was definitely not an easy task to carry a bundle of new cloths, a folding booster chair, some small toys, and a few story books.

Right before they left the mall, Hermione suddenly noticed some Polaroid cameras in a display window of a small shop. Her eyes widened as she saw the cameras. They were so... eighties! Giving Snape a hesitated smile, she said, "Would you mind waiting here with Harry for just a minute? I'll be right back!"

Hermione was not really asking for permission; and Snape was not given much of a chance to voice his displeasure.

Running inside the store, Hermione did not waste her time. The transaction was completed within minutes. As the clerk packed up the camera, Hermione dug into her wallet for the money. She was glad that Snape gave her the first week of salary that very morning. If there was any souvenir that she wanted to bring home from her trip to the past, it would have to be a Polaroid camera. She could just see how much fun she could have bringing it to the next Halloween Party, dressing up like a party girl from the eighties.

"Your husband is so cute with your son!" The store clerk commented casually.

"My what?" Hermione gave the middle-aged woman a horrified look.

"Oh... just look at how he is looking at your little boy!" The woman smiled kindly.

Following the woman's eyes, Hermione looked outside the store. There, in the middle of the courtyard, Harry's stroller was parked in the shades of a willow tree. Balancing all the bags, Snape was leaning over the stroller, brows furrowed, as if he was studying the most amusing creature in the world.

Severus was indeed lost in his own thoughts as he watched the small boy's sleeping form. Reality was still slowly sinking in. He couldn't believe he had just decided to take on the responsibility of another human being; a little one, sure, but still, another life. He had been terribly distracted. He felt as if he was walking on clouds. Nothing around him seemed real any more. He felt ridiculous following the young woman around a shopping center, holding all the strange things that would be "required" for raising a small child. His life had turned upside-down within a day. Was this what it would be like from now on? Was the little boy going to take over all of his priorities? Was he going to lose all the control he had over everything? Suddenly Severus felt it hard to breath.

A bright flash startled Severus as he heard Hermione's giggling laugh. Looking up, he saw the young woman smiling at the camera that she just purchased from the store. A moment later, the camera spit out a square picture. The girl happily pulled it out and began to fan it with great enthusiasm. When she finally stopped she smiled again, and the she handed it over to show off the production of her new purchase: there he was, in the picture, leaning over the stroller, looking at the boy with great interest.

"Insufferable." He growled. Without another word, Snape straightened up, adjusted all the bags in his hands, and began to walk away in big long strides, ignoring Hermione's yelp as she hurried to catch up.

* * *

The following weeks went by rather uneventfully. Severus had the natural ability when it came to hiding his anxiety, because Hermione didn't sense any of it.

Hermione was very impressed by Snape's calm attitude towards having Harry living with him. She took note of the changes in Snape as they fed, cleaned, and played with the boy. Snape seemed genuinely interested in all the little things they had to do for the boy. He helped Hermione put up padding around the sharp corners of various tables and chairs, "child-proofing" the rooms where Harry usually stayed; he cleaned out the very small court yard behind the house, so that Harry could exercise his little chubby legs running around; he also did a fair amount of feeding and cleaning, and Hermione could tell that he had become much more sure-handed dealing with the child as the days went by.

Four weeks into her contracted term, it was clear to Hermione that Harry had grown very attached to his Uncle Sev, probably as much as Snape had grown comfortable with the boy.

"Sir, what are you going to do after I leave?" Hermione asked curiously one day, wondering if Snape would share with her his plans.

"That is none of your concern, Miss Granger." Snape gave her the expected response. But a few minutes later he added, "My work requires that I go to a certain place at the beginning of September. And Harry will be staying with me there."

Hermione smiled at what she heard. She knew exactly where Snape's "work" was going to be. Knowing her best friend would be able to grow up in the castles at Hogwarts made her heart swell. Perhaps she didn't make a mistake after all.

Speaking of her best friend, Hermione almost forgot that the little boy was the Harry Potter that she knew for years. When the small boy followed her around the house, when he asked her silly questions when they played together, when he returned her hugs at night before bedtime, Hermione felt a new kind of emotion growing in her heart. It was a kind of love that she had never experienced before. It was not the kind between friends, not the kind with parents, not the kind with a lover, but the kind... with a child of her own.

But Hermione knew all of this would eventually end, just like the summer would eventually turn into fall. So she savored every minute that she got to spend with boy, and tried her best remembering their every interaction. She especially loved it when the little boy snuggled in her arms when she read him bedtime stories. For a few times, she caught sight of Snape watching them from the doorway, listening to her reading to Harry. She often wondered, would Snape ever consider reading a book to Harry himself?

The hardest part for Hermione during the six weeks had to be not being able to read any of the books in Snape's study. She often caught herself looking at them longingly every time when she walked past his study. It felt like pure punishment, as if she was a little girl in a candy store, but was not allowed to have any. Snape seemed to notice her curiosity. He frowned when he caught sight of her peeking into his study, and eventually developed a habit of closing the door at all times.

Hermione let out a frustrated sigh one night when she was lying in bed, wide awake. She was terribly bored. She needed some intellectual stimulation. Quietly she climbed out of bed and looked around the room she had called hers for the past few weeks.

The antique furniture in the room had long past their glory days. The table, the dresser and the chairs had nicely carved wooden trims, but it looked as if no one had cleaned them properly for years. Her eyes narrowed as she spotted a small wooden box hidden in a dark corner under the dresser. There was a glimpse of a piece of parchment sticking out from the crack. Dying for any reading materials she could get her hands on, Hermione made sure her door was locked, reached down, and brought the box out of the dark corner.

It turned out to be an old keepsake box that belonged to Snape's mother. The witch had lots of little pieces of notes and pictures in the box. They were not very organized, but Hermione quickly made out the theme. They seemed to be the mother's records of Severus when he was a boy. Inside the box Mrs. Snape had kept some drawings probably done by Severus when he was Harry's age, some chronological pictures of a school-aged Severus, and also reports from Hogwarts. Hermione raised her eyebrows when she saw Severus' impressive score cards from his O.W.L. and N.E.W.T. Maybe the man did have his reasons to be so arrogant, Hermione thought. He was bloody brilliant!

In the middle of the small pile of miscellaneous notes Hermione found a crumbled Christmas card, with part of the cover slightly burned. It was as if Mrs. Snape barely saved it after someone tried to throw it into the fireplace. Hermione opened the card carefully and was greeted by a few lines of very neat handwriting.

_"Sev, _

_You ran away so fast after we got off the train I never got to talk to you. James and Sirius had been behaving like idiots. They promised me they would never do that to you again. But why wouldn't you accept James' apology? You have always been my best friend. And I want you to know that I really like James. Do you know how much it would mean to me if you two can get along as friends? My mum is putting on a Christmas party this Friday. I hope you can make it. Send me a note with the owl._

_- Love, Lily"_

Hermione's eyes widened. Lily? Harry's mother? Best friends? A puzzle slowly pieced together in Hermione's mind: a clueless Lily, an obnoxious James, and a heart-broken Severus Snape...

Later that night as Hermione drifted into sleep, she saw in her dreams an owl delivering a Christmas card to a teenage Severus. He read the card in silence. And the next thing Hermione saw, was a crumbled card fell on the floor by the fireplace, only to be picked up by an observant mother, quietly watching her son hiding in a dark corner of his room, suffering the pain of rejection and loss...

* * *

Hermione never stopped thinking about her discovery during the rest of her stay in 1982. It made her see a very different side of Snape, who was forgiving and generous. After all, not every man would be willing to take in the son of the woman who rejected him and the man who was once his rival.

Hermione's new found understanding of Severus made it slightly easier for her to prepare for her departure. On the last day of her agreed-upon term, she excused herself when Snape was watching Harry in the drawing room. It didn't take her long to pack the few things that she accumulated in the short six weeks. She packed away some clothes she bought during her stay, a journal she had been hiding under her pillow, some pictures she took of Harry, and her Polaroid camera.

When she came back downstairs, she was greeted by the sight of Snape reading in a small sofa by the fireplace, while little Harry resting his head on his Uncle Sev's chest, playing with a small toy truck. Couldn't resist, Hermione aimed her camera at the sight, and snapped her farewell shot of the two.

Snape had gotten used to the constant flash of her camera and only sighed when he realized she just took another picture of him.

"Just so that I can remember you." Hermione said quietly as she put the picture away.

"Are you all ready?" Snape put away his book and helped the little boy back on his feet.

Hermione nodded with a smile. If she had ever had any doubt before about Snape's ability with little Harry, it was all gone by now. Watching Snape leading little Harry to the door Hermione knew, Harry would be in good hands.

When Snape opened the front door they saw the taxi cab waiting at the curb as they had arranged the day before. Harry happily walked down the steps himself.

"Don't run in the street." Snape called after him.

"Sir, may I ask you one last question?" Hermione looked up at her future professor.

Snape arched an eyebrow and shrugged, "I suppose."

"Are we parting on good terms?" Hermione asked.

Snape narrowed his eyes at her briefly, slightly confused by her question. "I believe so... Miss Granger." He answered plainly.

Hermione gave him a warm smile. That's what she was hoping he would say. This might make her task of facing him again a little bit easier. Perhaps, she thought, a good memory of the babysitter would soften Snape a little, so that he wouldn't send her to too many detentions and dock too many points from her house.

Getting down to one knee Hermione tried to say good-bye to the little boy whom she had grown so fond of during the summer.

"You will be a good little boy and listen to Uncle Sev, okay?" She tried to hide the sadness in her voice and give the boy a weak smile.

"Auntie Mione going shopping? Harry come with you!" Harry grinned at Hermione.

"Oh no, Harry." Hermione bit her bottom lip, "Auntie Mione has to go..." She took a deep breath, feeling a lump in her throat.

"Well, if you like..." She suddenly heard Snape's cool voice, "You are welcome to come visit him again next summer. We should return sometime in June." He said.

Hermione nodded quietly, "I will see you... later then." She said to the little boy, knowing that it would be fourteen years into the future when they would see each other again.

As she looked back through the back window of the cab she waved at the little boy and the wizard in black. Lingering on her mind was not the fact that she would soon return to the time that she belong to, not the fact that she would see Snape and Harry in less than two months at Hogwarts, and not even the intimidating task of facing her Potions Master. All she could think of at the moment was that she would never see the little boy with big green eyes again. She would never again feel his little arms wrapped around her neck when he grinned at her and said, "Huggy Auntie Mione."

Hermione sank deep into her seat when Spinner's End finally disappeared into the distance. Taking in a deep breath she thought to herself: well, she did save Harry from his abusive relatives, and found him a guardian in Severus Snape. So back to her original theory, traveling back in time could fix problems and make lives better.

"All is good." She broke into a small smile.

* * *

**_Is it all good? I hope you didn't expect Hermione to get everything right all the time. Making mistakes is part of growing up, isn't it? _**

**_I would love to know what you think so far._**


	5. Back to the Future

**_Stepphiebob22, morriganandjess, Melissa72, LadyDunla, worrywart, toriashley, dontleavetonight, nonwritten, Nutters4Potter, viola1701e, BigTimeGleekBTR, Delerium9, MandyJ, Shorty653, duj, NAO-chan33, Emma Lewis, and my anonymous guest, thank you all for your reviews! And my goodness... all the follows and favorites... You have no idea how much your support mean to me!_**

**_I have to admit that some of you had made very keen observations and ALMOST guessed where we are heading. But... ALMOST is the key word. I still think however that the twist I have prepared for you in this chapter is not quite what you have expected. Hopefully the unpredictability makes the story more interesting... We still have a little ways to go before "romance" comes into play. When it comes to Severus Snape, I believe love requires a lot of patience and faith, and so does the story..._**

**_All characters belong to the brilliant J. K. Rowling._**

* * *

**Chapter Five - Back to the Future**

Hermione found the world exactly the same when she fast-forwarded her time turner and arrived in her parents' neighborhood in 1996. The six weeks that she spent fourteen years in the past in Spinner's End didn't seem to change anything to her parents' house, her mother's garden, and that same summer day under the apple tree.

She had an entire dinner ready before her parents returned home from work that evening.

"What's gotten into you, sweetie?" Her dad chuckled as they sat around the dinner table, "Is your new research project going to happen in the kitchen? Did you run out of books to read?"

"Oh stop teasing her honey!" Hermione's mom scolded her husband while trying to hide her smile, "I knew one of these days she would find her interest in some of these domestic chores... She is growing up! Can't you see? I could have sworn she's taller than she was this morning. She's turning 17 in a couple of months and..."

Hermione smiled as she listened to her parents' conversation, but somehow she was having a hard time keeping her mind from drifting to a different dining room, where she was sitting next to a little boy and a dark-haired wizard.

She wrote a quick note early the following morning to Ron, so that she could send the letter out with the newspaper owl delivering the Daily Prophet.

"Ron, you wouldn't believe what I did yesterday... or well, the past six weeks." She wrote, "I have so much to tell you! When do you think your parents plan on having me over? Is the Order still going to use Sirius house? Now that he is..." she paused briefly before skipping the sentence to the next, "Or are we going to stay at the Burrow? I can't wait to see you! - Hermione"

She didn't write a very long note like she typically would do. When you had as much information to share as Hermione did, you would realize writing everything down would not be advisable, as no owl would be willing to deliver a letter that long.

Hermione held back the urge to send Harry a note. To be honest with herself, she had no idea where to start in the letter. Harry's life must have been so different now that he had Snape in his life all these years. Snape... Hermione frowned. She would soon have to face her professor, and explain to him why she was staying in his house fourteen years ago as a babysitter.

_You should know it by now Hermione... He CAN be a reasonable man._ She thought to herself, and decided to take the preemptive approach. She would write an easy... an easy that would provide Snape with an argument that would justify her experiments with the time turner. She would start with her history with using the magical gadget, and would describe her encounter at the Dursleys when she made her trip to 1982. After that, she would list out every single lie that she could remember telling and provide Snape with a good reason. She had decided she would turn in her "report" the first night when she would return to Hogwarts, so that he could read it overnight, and be all convinced before she would have to face him in class the following day.

Satisfied with her plans, Hermione set out with her work. The essay quickly turned into a big project. It was indeed a huge burden to rationalize her web of lies. By the time she began to address the twentieth lie she told in 1982, her "essay" had practically turned into a two volume novel.

Hermione was so absorbed in her work, and she didn't even notice: Ron never returned her note; and September 1st was here again.

* * *

Hermione hugged her parents good-bye and ran to the train. The traffic in muggle London was horrendous that morning. They barely made it to Platform 9 and 3 quarters when Hogwarts Express gave out a long whistle.

Walking down the train Hermione checked the compartments, looking for the familiar redhead. She didn't expect to see Harry on the train. After all, there should be certain "benefits" for Harry to enjoy having Snape as his guardian. Hermione wouldn't be surprised if Harry had never taken the train, but had been arriving at Hogwarts taking the floo straight into Snape's private quarters all those years.

As she almost reached the end of a car, she found Ron. But Ron was not alone.

Hermione couldn't quite see Ron's face from the door. In fact, she couldn't quite see him at all, except for a glimpse of his signature red hair. Lavender Brown was straddling Ron, with her arms around the young man's neck, kissing him with great enthusiasm. Hermione could barely see Ron's face as Lavender's curly hair had created a veil covering most of their faces.

"Ewww..." Hermione said to herself, "How is he going to breathe with her on top of him like that."

"Tell me about it." A voice came from behind. Hermione turned around. It was Neville.

"Hi Neville!" Hermione smiled at her friend brightly, "I guess that's what's new with Ron, huh?"

"New?" Neville took another look at the two, "I thought you knew about them since last year! Isn't Lavender your roommate? Anyway, have you found a seat yet? I've been looking for you..."

Hermione followed Neville to a compartment at the end of the next car, which happened to be scarcely occupied. Hermione ended up sharing the compartment only with Neville.

"What did you do this summer?" Neville asked, "I was waiting for your owl but it never showed up."

Hermione raised an eyebrow, "You were waiting for my owl?"

"Yeah, didn't you want to come visit me and see the plants my great uncle had sent me from his traveling?" Neville pulled out a photo album from his trunk, "But that's okay. I took pictures of them. Here... I bet you've never seen these before..."

The trip to Hogwarts was surprisingly short when Hermione was completely lost in the magical plants encyclopedia that Neville had put together over the summer. The young wizard explained the magical properties of each new plant that he had acquired in great detail. It almost sounded like he was prepared to give a full year of lecture on this subject.

Ron was not waiting for Hermione when they arrived at Hogsmeade, not that Hermione expected that after seeing how "busy" he was with Lavender on the train. She and Neville ended up taking their own carriage. Everything seemed so wonderfully familiar. Hermione couldn't hold back a silly grin on her face. She had missed the place.

When they entered the Great Hall that evening Hermione began to look for Harry. When she couldn't find Harry at the Gryffindor table she began to worry. Could it be possible that after being with Snape for so many years, Harry had decided to be a Slytherin instead? Would he still want to be her friend if that's the case? She got up from her seat and scanned through the entire Slytherin table; but there was no sign of the young wizard with unruly black hair.

Frustrated, she looked up at the teacher's table, only to find Remus Lupin smiling down at her. She waved at Remus excitedly.

"That's nice, Remus is back!" She said to Neville, delighted to know that Dumbledore had brought Remus back to replace Umbridge. She wondered how Dumbledore was able to convince the school board that there would be no reason to discriminate Remus just because he's a werewolf.

"Why shouldn't he?" Neville looked at her curiously, "And since when have you been calling him Remus? Oh well, all the teachers love you. You're probably personal friends with all of them by now."

Hermione frowned slightly, not sure what to make out of Neville's comments. She looked up again searching for Snape. But he wasn't there.

"Who's that?" She nudged Neville slightly when she spotted a chubby old wizard with a round face. "The one sitting next to McGonagall."

Neville glanced up quickly and said, "Are you serious Hermione? Good old Slughorn hasn't changed a bit all these years. Don't let him hear that you can't remember him. It'll break his poor little heart. You are definitely the Potions Master's favorite. The entire school knows that."

Hermione's frown deepened, "Potions Master? What about Sna..."

She didn't get to finish her question as Dumbledore raised to the front of the Great Hall and began his address to the school. "Welcome..."

Hermione didn't hear a word of the Headmaster's welcome speech. The sorting hat's song, the sorting ceremony, and the dinner itself all seemed way too long. For the entire time Hermione could feel the little somersaults in her stomach. Where could Harry be? Subconsciously, she reached down to the rolls of parchment next to her on the bench. She had all of her explanations ready for Snape. If only she could find him.

When dinner was finally over, Hermione looked around one more time. This time she caught sight of Ron getting ready to leave the table.

"Ron! Ron!" She called after him, "Ronald! Wait!"

Ron looked at her quickly and began to walk towards her. She noticed a flash of nervousness on the young man's face, but she ignored it completely.

"Ron! Where is Harry?"

"Huh?" Ron looked bewildered. "Hey listen Hermione," He ignored her question and said in a low voice, "I think Lavender is still mad at me from seeing the note you sent me over the summer. What the bloody hell were you talking about? I wasn't going to see you this summer! Lavender thought I was cheating on her. So you better..."

"Wait up Won Won," Ron stopped short from completing his sentence as Lavender grabbed his hand from behind. "Oh hi there, _Hermione_. How was _your_ summer?" Lavender narrowed her eyes at her boyfriend before giving Hermione a strange smile.

"Argh, I don't know what's wrong with you people." Hermione shook her head with great frustration. But in fact she did know what was wrong... at least she had some general idea. "I just want to find Harry. Have you seen him? Have you talked to him over the summer?"

"Harry? Harry who?" Ron seemed very confused.

"Harry! Harry Potter of course!" Hermione was practically screaming now.

"Oh, the boy-who-lived but couldn't swim?" Ron's eyes widened.

"Hey, that's kind of mean..." Lavender frowned and gave Ron an elbow.

"What? She's the one who's going mental and asking me all these stupid questions." Ron winced and as he rubbed the area where Lavender's elbow just hit him.

"What do you mean stupid questions?" Hermione began to panic, "And what do you mean 'couldn't swim'? Of course Harry can swim."

"Geez, Hermione, maybe you need to go see Madam Pomfrey or something." Ron frowned as he turned away, "For someone who read so many books you surely should know the story. It's still considered recent history, isn't it?"

He didn't wait for Hermione's response before making his way towards the Gryffindor Tower, with Lavender following closely behind.

With tears blurring her eyes Hermione hurried back to her dorm room. She closed the curtains around her four-poster bed and dived into her copy of Hogwarts: a History. It took her only a short moment to find the entry she was looking for: Harry Potter, the boy-who-lived. A small sob escaped her as she continued to read the words in the next line: July 31, 1980 - August 3, 1985.

Holding back her tears she read the small prints that followed, and skipped through the parts that she was too familiar with... "son of Lily and James Potter... only one survived the killing curse cast by the Dark Lord..." and then she found a paragraph that she had never seen in the book before:

_"A swimming accident took young Harry's life when he was five years old. According to eye witnesses, including his maternal aunt and uncle, it was an accident during the family's summer outing at a neighborhood swimming pool. No foul play was suspected by the muggle police and the Auror's Office."_

A family outing with his aunt and uncle? Hermione wiped away her tears and frowned. Why was he back with them? And where was Snape when that happened?

She looked through the appendix of the history book, searching for the name of Severus Snape, but couldn't find anything more than a line of fine print:

_Severus Snape, Potions Master at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, 1981 - 1985._

That night, Hermione cried herself to sleep.

* * *

"Want to go get some breakfast?" Ginny greeted Hermione in the common room the following morning. Noticing her swollen eyes, Ginny asked, "Are you alright?"

"Not really Ginny." Hermione whispered, "I need to go to the library."

Before Ginny could say another word, Hermione had already run out of the portrait hole.

Her attempt to find any additional information on Snape in the library was proven unfruitful. She quickly ran out of options.

Dumbledore was slightly surprised when he saw his early visitor in his office.

"Miss Granger! Good morning! You must have some really urgent questions for me. I can't imagine any other reason that would make you want to miss the first class of the year."

"Yes Professor," Hermione was almost whispering.

"Come in," the Headmaster said cheerfully, "would you like some every flavor beans?"

Hermione shook her head quietly and frowned at the floor. She didn't know where to start with her questions. After a long pause she looked up at Dumbledore, "Professor, has there been a Potions Master at Hogwarts named Severus Snape?"

The smile in the Headmaster's face slowly disappeared. He looked up at Hermione thoughtfully. A moment later he said, "Yes indeed, Miss Granger. Severus Snape was a Potions Master at Hogwarts for years. But that was more than ten years ago. May I know the reason for your inquiry?"

Hermione took a deep breath and lied, "I came across a reference in a book connecting him with Harry Potter."

She could feel the Headmaster's eyes piercing into her. After a long pause she heard him say, "Take a seat, Miss Granger. This may take a while."

Slowly the headmaster got up from his seat and walked to window next to the desk. Stoking his white beard he began,

"Miss Granger, Severus is a good friend of mine, at least I still consider him so. What he thinks of me... I can only wish that I know. The story I'm about to tell you will explain, that even an old man like me makes mistakes... mistakes that only make one wish for a second chance...

"Right about fourteen summers ago, there was an unexpected event that led a two-year-old Harry Potter into Severus' custody. It was a tricky situation, because I had hoped that Harry's blood relatives could help seal the protection charm that Harry's mother had put on him before she sacrificed her life. However, Severus could not accept the fact that Harry was living with his abusive aunt and uncle. Instead of returning the boy, he wanted to raise Harry himself.

"That was not what I have planned. Miss Granger, I believe you can appreciate my dilemma. If I am not mistaken, you too are a person who likes to be in control of a situation by planning ahead, aren't you? I think you can imagine my reaction to Severus' decision. At first, I agreed to having him try out his plans, thinking that he would soon realize how unrealistic it would be for him to raise a small child himself. Surprisingly, he managed to do a good job. By the time when he returned to Hogwarts at the start of the school term, it was clear to anyone who saw them, that Severus was more than capable of raising the boy. That left me no choice but to intervene.

"I needed him to maintain his cover as a Death Eater in preparation for the return of the Dark Lord. Oh had I forgotten to explain, that he was a formal Death Eater? I can guarantee you though, that he had long ago chosen to fight against Voldemort. I wish I could explain to you why I can make such an assertion. However, because of a promise that I made long time ago to keep a secret, you will have to take my words for it on this one.

"Anyway, he was too valuable for me as a spy than a caretaker for Harry Potter. So I had a very lengthy talk with him. I explained to him his role in the war, and how important his service would be for the greater good. In case you didn't know, Miss Granger, I can be very convincing if I wanted to."

The Headmaster let out a sigh before he continued on,

"So we finally reached an agreement. Harry would return to his aunt and uncle, but Severus would be able to go visit him every other month.

"It was a very difficult transition for Harry, as well as for Severus. That was when I should have caught my mistake. I didn't realize just how attached they were to each other. I should have seen it in Severus' eyes: he had very much considered Harry his son.

"The following few years were very challenging. The Dursleys reluctantly agreed to take Harry back because of their fear for me, and all the unknown threats from the wizarding world. Their relationship with Severus had been tense from the very first day. They hated him, but were afraid of him. They knew he would not tolerate it if they continued to abuse Harry. So the hitting and hurting stopped. Instead, they completely neglected the boy, which led to the swimming accident right after Harry turned five.

"Severus was devastated when he received the news. He knew if the Dursleys were watching Harry as they should, the five-year-old wouldn't have drowned. The day after the accident Severus went to see the Dursleys. He needed them to feel his pain. Alas, I should have known. I should have known what a father's grief could lead to. But that was my second big mistake. I was not there for him when he got the news."

"What did he do to the Dursleys?" Hermione gasped. "Did he kill them?"

"No, he didn't." Dumbledore let out another sigh, "Like I said, he simply wanted them to feel his pain. He used the cruciatus curse.

"But that was more than enough to land him in serious trouble in the wizarding world, especially with his history being a Death Eater. He was put on trial and was sentenced to Azkaban. I met with him before the trial, and I begged him to share with the jury certain history he had with Harry's family, as that would clearly explain his behaviors after the tragedy. But he refused. He told me that since he had lost the last person he cared about, he had no reason to fight. It was clearly his choice, Miss Granger. Severus let his enemies in the Ministry fabricated whatever stories they wanted to tell, and was sent to Azkaban."

Tear drops fell on the back of Hermione's hands as she continued staring at the floor. Dumbledore was not the only one who made mistakes. If she didn't travel back in time, if she didn't make Harry cry in the middle of the night, if...

"Is there nothing we can do to fix all this?" Hermione couldn't hold back the question.

After a long moment the Headmaster answered, "Is there? I don't know the answer Miss Granger. Is it always possible to reshape the course of life when you get a result that you don't like? Can altering the past guarantee a better future? The past used to be the present; and the present at one point was the future. If you lived through the past, it would become an experience; otherwise, it would merely be stories you hear from an old man. Why linger in the past Miss Granger, while this past never belonged to you?"

Hermione couldn't find her voice to say another word. She nodded quietly and got up from her seat.

"Miss Granger, do you know why I have every flavor beans in my office?" Dumbledore suddenly asked.

Surprised by the Headmaster's question Hermione looked up at the old wizard, and was met by Dumbledore's clear blue eyes, twinkling behind his half-moon spectacles.

"I used to keep lemon drops in the exact same jar. When you know they are lemon drops, you know exactly what you'll get when you put your hand into the candy jar. You have complete control over the situation; and the outcome is always desirable. From my mistakes over the years I've come to a realization, that not everything can be planned. Take a piece, Miss Granger, I insist. You never know what you may get, it may just turn out to be a piece of heaven."

* * *

Hermione didn't remember how she walked out of the Headmaster's office. Her tears were dried long ago by the chilly breeze. Purposelessly she wandered down to the lake, only to stop in the middle of the bridge.

The water was calm, just like it had always been. Reaching into her pocket Hermione found the piece of every flavor bean she got from Dumbledore's office. It's in the color of dark brown. Could it be chocolate, or coffee, or ear wax? Holding the candy in her hand, Hermione wondered: would tasting the piece of candy be the only way to discover the consequences of her choice?

A moment later she let the candy go. The small bean bounced a few times at the edge of the bridge before falling into the water, without even making the tiniest splash.

* * *

**_This has been a difficult chapter, for me and for our characters... On the bright side, I'm glad to inform you, that we are finally getting into the part of the story that I had been waiting for since the first day I began writing it._**

**_As always, I hope to hear from you._**


	6. Hermione's Confession

**_viola1701e, BigTimeGleekBTR, Delerium9, NAO-chan33, Katey123, solosinger1, morriganandjess, Nutters4Potter, loli, worrywart, gifarlme, notwritten, LadyDunla, MandyJ, duj, Stepphiebob22, and JeniDRalph thank you all for your reviews! _**

**_I was so afraid that the development in the previous chapter would turn many of you away - I was expecting rotten tomatoes thrown my way! Well, if you are still reading, I thank you all! I sincerely apologize for the dark turn we took last time. But has it ever occurred to you, that often times, there is only a fine line between heartbreaking tragedy and mind-blowing romance?_**

**_All characters belong to the brilliant J. K. Rowling._**

* * *

**Chapter Six - Hermione's Confession**

The following weeks and months went by in a blur. Homework and exams was still a breeze for Hermione, thanks to her going through all the class materials by herself in the previous school year. However, her teachers and friends all noticed that she did not raise her hand in class anymore, and the library was no longer her favorite place to be. When they asked what was bothering her, she only shook her head. She didn't expect anyone to be able to understand her story, and anything to make her feel better.

She found herself hiding behind the curtains of her four-poster a lot. Going through the entries that she recorded in her journal, and the pictures she took of a two-year-old Harry and his dark-hair guardian seemed to be the only way to lessen her grieving. Night after night, Hermione cried herself to sleep, holding her journal and the pictures. Soon, it was becoming harder and harder to tell reality from dreams.

Sometimes when she walked around the castle grounds, Hermione would hear a little boy's cheerful voice calling after her, "Auntie Mione!" But when she turned around, not even a ghost was there to greet her. She also caught herself daydreaming in her classes, especially in potions. When she looked down in her cauldron, she would think that she saw a glimpse of the familiar black cloak from the corner of her eye, and heard a silky voice next to her, "Miss Granger..." When she looked up in a startle, she would find Slughorn's concerned gaze upon her. She would quickly shake her head and go back to her work, occasionally adding drops of tears into her potions recipe.

Beyond the grief of losing her best friend, it was the tremendous guilt that was consuming Hermione from within. She felt responsible for ruining two lives. She thought about going back to correct her mistake. But how? She had learned that the time turner had the limit of only going back fourteen years. Since she had already been moving forward in her own time, there was no way to go back and undo her visit to little Harry in the middle of that dreadful night.

_Even magic has its limit. _She thought to herself bitterly.

Hermione was sitting in her bed again on this stormy Saturday. The winter storm outside did not concern her, as she was again completely absorbed in the old pictures. She came across one with only Snape in it. The wizard was in his signature black coat, standing in the doorway, looking slightly surprised. She remembered exactly when she took that picture...

Severus was returning from outside after fixing the small fence in the courtyard, so that there would be a little added protection when little Harry was out playing. Hermione remembered how she was hiding behind the kitchen door with Harry when she heard Severus' footsteps.

"Shhh... we are going to take a surprise picture of Uncle Sev, okay?" She winked at the little boy with bright green eyes, wondering if she could get away from a prank on the wizard who would eventually turn into her intimidating potions master.

"Surprise! Shhh..." Little Harry repeated excitedly. Hermione held back the giggles as she watched the little boy clumsily placing his index finger on his lips.

She remembered how Severus raised his eyebrows in surprise when the flash went off in his face, and how Harry laughed upon seeing his reaction.

"Surprise Uncle Sev!" The little boy cheered.

Hermione remembered how Severus' frown slowly melted away, and his thin lips curled up into a small smile. But he didn't walk away without grunting an "insufferable." It was clearly a comment for the babysitter, not for the little boy.

Hermione smiled sadly as she remembered their small exchange. Suddenly, she heard an exaggerated gasp, "Ooh, he looks dashing! Is this the boyfriend that broke your heart? I knew you're into the more mature ones..." She didn't notice when Lavender had come back to the dorm room.

"I'm sorry Hermione," Lavender went on, "I should have believed Ron when he told me that you two were not seeing each other behind my back. Do you need help making up with this boyfriend of yours? Did you meet him over the summer?"

"Oh no," Hermione felt her cheeks burning, "He's not my boyfriend." She frowned as she thought about what her roommate just said. It would probably take a miracle for Lavender Brown to ever see beyond the appearance.

"Come on..." Lavender laughed, "I saw how you were looking at his picture. And how would you explain why you are blushing? You like him, don't you? Why don't you go for it?"

"We..." Hermione hesitated, "we never had the opportunity..."

"That's easy..." Lavender walked over to her trunk, digging for something, "You are of age already, aren't you? That means you can use magic whenever you want, where ever you want, doesn't it? Pop on over and visit him again, maybe over the Christmas break. He doesn't look like a student. That's even better. More flexibilities. Just make sure you start early enough so that you have plenty of time..."

"Oh I don't think..." Hermione wasn't sure what to say to the suggestion.

"You don't need to think. You'll turn into an old maid if you think too much!" The curly-hair girl let out a giggle, "What's his name anyway?"

Hermione took a deep breath, after a long moment she answered, "Sev..."

"Parvati! What have you done to my red scarf! It's still all wrinkled! You said the charm would fix it!" Lavender was clearly not as interested in the wizard's name as her beloved accessory, "Oh you left me no choice witch! I'll have to take your gold color one then..."

Hermione let out a relieved sigh as her roommate ran over to the other side of the room, starting to dig into Parvati's trunk. It was a good thing that she did not need to continue this conversation with Lavender Brown.

That night, when Hermione went through the pictures again, she stopped at the one she took at the muggle shopping mall. It was the first picture she took with her camera. In the picture, Severus was balancing several big bags in his two hands, while leaning over a blue stroller, observing the boy with great interest.

_"Your husband is so cute with your son!"_

Hermione remembered how the clerk commented on Severus. And she suddenly felt her cheeks burning again. Just what exactly was wrong with her?

She had never been the type of teenage girls who read romantic novels and believed in impossible love stories. Could she really be falling for a man that only existed in her memory and her imagination?

That night, Hermione didn't cry; but she couldn't fall asleep for the longest time.

* * *

By Christmas time Hermione had made up her mind: she did not belong to the present world around her. Staying in the present reality was just as strange as going back in time and staying in the past. True, altering the past could not guarantee a better future. But Hermione had decided, since she was responsible for the changes she made, she would at least make it her own experience. Perhaps she should taste the candy that she picked.

The day after Christmas Hermione kissed her parents good-bye. She told them that she would be meeting with a couple of her roommates from Hogwarts for a slumber party before going back to school together in a few days. She felt a little guilty when she lied. It seemed as if it had becoming harder to harder to stop lying once you walked down that path. She could only hope that her understanding of the logic of time was not too far from the truth, and that someday, somehow, she would be able to see her parents again.

Her parents didn't question her plans. They had long ago gotten used to a very independent daughter. They knew they could always rely on her sound judgment. Standing by their front door Mr. and Mrs. Granger waved at their daughter as she disappeared into the night with a soft pop.

"Oh dear," sighed Mrs. Granger, "I hope one of these days I can get use to her disappearing in front of my eyes like that."

...

When Hermione reappeared, she was standing at the end of a quiet road. The street was dark and cold. The only light was from a distant street lamp, giving out a feeble orange glow. Hermione pulled out her wand and said quietly, "lumos".

The wand-lighting charm gave her just enough light to work with her time turner. She pulled the golden knob out to the farthest it could go, and began to turn. When the knob could not go any further, Hermione took a deep breath, and let go.

The world quickly began to spin around her. Hermione closed her eyes and waited. When she finally opened her eyes, it was snowing.

The street seemed slightly brighter than a few minutes ago. Several street lamps lit up the quiet street corner. Looking up, she saw snowflakes dancing down from heaven. Hermione broke into a smile as she turned to the house in front of her: the warm glow of candle lights added a soft magical touch to the house that belonged to the wizard who had occupied her mind so often in the past few months. It seemed like she had guessed it right. Snape did not spend this Christmas break at Hogwarts.

Severus Snape was not expecting any visitors in this stormy evening. Well, he never expected any visitors for that matter. He settled down in his wing-back chair in his study, trying to get into a book by the fireplace with the help of half a glass of firewhiskey.

It's been over six weeks since he had to drop Harry off at the Dursleys; but Severus still could not get used to the quietness around the house. The days seemed to be going by too slowly. He wasn't sure how he would manage to wait another week and a half before he could go visit the boy again. Too often he caught himself second guessing his decision of agreeing to Dumbledore's terms.

Suddenly he heard someone knocking on the door.

Lazily he walked to the door and opened it, only to find the young woman whom he had not seen for months.

"Miss Granger?" He arched an eyebrow, "What..."

But before he could finish his sentence, the girl flung herself onto him and locked her arms around him.

Severus threw his arms in the air in surprise, completely shocked by the unexpected embrace. A moment later he cleared his throat, and began in his emotionless cool voice, "I would suggest that you remove yourself from me immediately, Miss Granger." he said, "I hate to ask what kind of trouble you had landed yourself into. Do you have to resort to such a tactic to get yourself a place to stay for the night?"

_Oh you have no idea how big of a trouble I'm in right now. _Hermione thought to herself. Slowly she let go of Severus and dropped her head. She didn't know where to begin with her confession.

Taking a quick glance at the storm outside Severus let out a grunt, "Come inside. At least you should time it better next time and run away from home on a clear day."

Nervously Hermione followed Severus into the house, and quickly began to look around, searching for any signs of the little boy.

"Harry is not here." Severus said as if he read her mind, "If that is who you are looking for. Haven't you seen him in your parents' neighborhood? Or, should I guess, that you never returned home after the summer?" He let out a sigh and frowned at Hermione, "Allow me to make it clear to you, if no one bothered to point it out to you sooner: it is not advisable for a young woman to run away from home, especially at night. And what were you thinking running away like this." He gestured at her, pointing out that she was carrying nothing but a small beaded bag. "Shouldn't you be a little better prepared?"

"Er... I... am prepared."

"Obviously you have an interesting interpretation about being prepared, apparently not quite the same as most people." Severus growled, "Just how old are you anyway?"

"Er... that's hard to say, sir. I haven't done the math lately." Hermione answered. She had decided that she would be completely honest with Snape this time around.

"That is the most absurd answer I have ever heard!" Severus snarled.

"Well, it's a bit complicated..." Hermione sighed. Slowly she reached into her beaded bag and took out the essay that she wrote over the summer. She looked up at Severus as she handed it over, "If you don't mind, sir, I guess we could start from here."

Severus' eyes narrowed as he watched the girl pulling an over-sized roll of parchment out of her small beaded bag. He immediately realized that the bag was charmed. "You... are a witch."

Hermione nodded as she looked away from those intimidating dark eyes; but she didn't move her hand that was holding up the parchment. She glanced up carefully at Severus when she felt him taking the parchment from her. Biting on her bottom lip Hermione said nervously, "I'm really sorry sir. But I have explained everything that happened this summer in there."

Severus gave her another stern look before opening the roll of parchment. As he began to read, his lips were pressed into a very thin line. At first, he looked up a couple times from the paper and examined Hermione suspiciously. But soon he was completely absorbed by the document and he didn't look up again.

A while later he began to make his way to his study, completely ignoring the young witch still standing in his living room. After a brief hesitation, Hermione followed Severus into his study, and sat down in a sofa opposite him by the fire. She was surprised that he didn't bark at her as she broke the rule and entered the room that was "off limit at all times". But she had a feeling that entering his study would soon be the least problem for her to worry about.

Hermione wondered why it never occurred to her that her essay was a little too long. She began to feel really sleepy as the warmth of the fire enveloped her. The room was absolutely quiet, other than Snape occasionally turning the page, there was only the crackling sound from the fireplace. Hermione's eyelids were getting heavier and heavier. Finally, she gave in to the temptation of the comfortable sofa. For the first time in months, she drifted into a comfortable slumber.

* * *

She heard the chirping of the birds before she opened her eyes. Rubbing her eyes open, Hermione slowly remembered where she was. The morning sun was the proof that the storm had finally passed. Everything outside the window was covered with snow; everything was clean; everything was white. Looking around Hermione realized she was alone in Snape's study. Where did he go?

Quietly she followed the scent of coffee into the kitchen, and found the dark-hair wizard sitting by the table, still reading her "essay".

"Good morning." She greeted him quietly, wondering if he had just picked up her paper again that morning or if he had never gone to sleep the night before.

Severus looked up at her; his expression unreadable. After a long moment he said, "You've managed to add about eight months to your age."

Hermione arched an eyebrow at his words, and soon realized he was addressing their last conversation the night before. He had done the math for her based on the facts that she provided in her essay. She waited for him to continue, but he didn't.

Breaking into an uneasy smile she said, "That will make me just about eighteen... Sir... I want you to know... that it was never my intention to..."

"Is this going to be the thirty-fourth lie that you will be telling?" He suddenly cut her off. "Because if it is, you can save your time. I have no interest in hearing any more of your explanations, or reading a sequel to your novel. Why are you back anyway? Not happy with what you've done?" His asked coldly.

"I am really sorry sir." Hermione could feel the tears welling up in her eyes. "But I am not going to tell any more lies. I know you don't trust me, and I really don't expect you to, after all that I've done..." She took a deep breath to brace herself, "Why don't you take a look yourself. I know you can look into my mind. And I am ready."

Slightly surprised, Severus looked back at her with his deep dark eyes. His gaze lingered on her only for a moment, before he pulled out his wand.

"It is your request, Miss Granger." He murmured.

It felt as if a flash of bright light suddenly cut through her eyes. Hermione felt lightheaded as the foreign power penetrating into her mind. Severus was not at all gentle with his search. Hermione could sense that he was in a hurry, trying to learn everything of her past.

Taking a stumble backwards Hermione bumped into the wall. Immediately she felt herself relying on its support. Images from her past flew in front of her eyes, completely out of her own control. She saw the owl delivering her the acceptance letter from Hogwarts, the bright red Hogwarts Express waiting for her on Platform 9 and 3 quarters. She saw Harry, Ron, Professor Dumbledore, and... Snape. Severus paused for a moment as he watched himself in the witch's memory, sneering at the girl, "put your hand down, you silly girl." And the scene quickly disappeared.

Everything sped up again... Hermione was now standing in front of the three-headed dog... she was with Ron and Harry looking at a petrified Mrs. Norris... it was full moon... Sirius Black was in front of a transforming Remus Lupin... Pettigrew was running way... the time turner... Harry in the Triwizard Tournament... Harry crying over the dead body of Cedric Diggory... Umbridge teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts... Centaurs in the forbidden forest... Department of Magic... Death Eaters... Sirius falling behind the veil...

It was one of the longest invasions that Severus had ever done to someone's mind. He was well aware of the discomfort his legilimency had brought to the witch. He took a few steps closer in case she would lose her consciousness and fall. The young woman, however, was holding up surprisingly well. It was as if she was pulling all her physically strength together in order to keep her mind from shutting down. She wanted him to see everything, and was pushing him to go further with his search for information.

Severus pulled out from Hermione's mind abruptly after witnessing her conversation with Dumbledore over Harry's drowning accident and his own fate in Azkaban.

Letting out a shaking cry, Hermione felt her mind slipping. She had never felt so exhausted in her entire life. A mixture of tears and sweat blurred her vision. Her legs soon gave out under her. Right before she hit the floor, she felt his steady hands caught her by her arms. He then led her over to a chair by the kitchen table.

She heard Severus' footsteps leaving the room. A moment later, he returned.

"Drink this." he said quietly, handing her a vial of blue potion.

The potions quickly began to sooth the nerves in Hermione's body. Soon her breathing calmed down and she could think clearly again.

"Are you fit to travel?" she heard him asking.

"I think so..." She answered, "but where are we going?"

"Take a few minutes to get ready. We will first go to Hogwarts."

"I see..." She let out a sigh, "Thanks for letting me talk to Dumbledore before turning me over to the Ministry."

"What do you mean?" Severus sounded slightly surprised.

"Aren't you going to send me to the Auror's office for my misuse of the time turner?" She asked quietly.

When she didn't hear him answer she looked up at Severus, and saw a strange expression in his face. A moment later he said,

"That's an interesting idea Miss Granger... But that's not what I have in mind."

"Why are we going to Hogwarts then?" Hermione wasn't sure if she was ready to face the Headmaster.

"Because I have words for Dumbledore." Severus answered plainly, "And Harry needs to come home."

* * *

**_Alright... so she's back to the past... as many of you have expected. I really don't see her having any other options. But did that answer all of your questions? Do you think you know where we are heading?_**

**_I hope I didn't disappoint you. Let me know..._**


	7. The Fate of the Time Turner

**_MandyJ, JeniDRalph, Delerium9, gifarlme, BigTimeGleekBTR, Katey123, viola1701e, NAO-chan33, Nutters4Potter, worrywart, morriganandjess, toriashley, loli, notwritten, duj, phoenixqueen15, LadyDunla, and Stepphiebob22, thank you all for your reviews!_**

**_All characters belong to the brilliant J. K. Rowling._**

**_The story continues... _**

* * *

**Chapter Seven - The Fate of the Time Turner**

It was still early in the morning when Severus and Hermione apparated into Hogsmeade. The streets were quiet, with only a handful of stores were about to open, as most of the residents were still enjoying their Christmas holiday. The two visitors walked side by side in silence and quickly reached the edge of Hogwarts.

The small country road leading to the castle grounds was covered with snow. All was quiet around them, except for the sound of white powder being crushed under their footsteps.

"Sir, do you think Professor Dumbledore would want to look into my mind too?" Hermione asked nervously, not sure if she was ready for another round of the agonizing experience.

After a long pause Severus answered, "I doubt Dumbledore would be interested in using legilimency on you. He will receive a complete report from me; and that should be enough."

A few moments later Hermione asked again, "Do you think he would consider changing his plans based on what I have learned form the future?"

"I don't see why not." Severus answered plainly, "After all, he suggested that you come back and warn him."

"What do you mean?" She was surprised by his statement.

"Is there going to be an end to all of your questions?" Severus shot her a cold glare before beginning, "When you met with him in his office after your trip in the summer, he told you himself that he wished for a second chance."

"I didn't think he meant it literately."

"The old man never said anything without a reason." Severus uttered a grunt. "He saw through your lie the minute you said that you found a reference connecting me with Harry. Making me give up custody on Harry was part of his plan of leaving no evidence connecting me with the boy. He knows the Dark Lord will return, and I will be a lot more useful for him if I am only known to the world as a loyal death eater. He told you there was no other way. Of course, if Harry was dead there would be no other way to bring him back. But for me... I wouldn't be the least surprised if he had already come up with a backup plan to convince me to spy for him. He was probably just waiting for the right opportunity. I don't know what he had in mind for Harry. Perhaps having you come back to warn him will at least save the boy's life."

Hermione drew a deep breath, "I have never thought of Professor Dumbledore as so..." she paused for a long moment before unwillingly said the word that had been lingering on her mind for quite some time, "...manipulative."

"Apparently you have no idea who you are dealing with." Severus shot her a serious glance.

Hermione's frown deepened as they continue on with their journey. When the castle finally came into view she said, "Sir, you never let me finish my apology. I just want you to know that I am truly sorry for bringing all these problems to your life."

Severus turned and gave her a long look, his face emotionless. His gaze however, seemed to be holding expressions more mysterious than the darkness of his eyes. He didn't acknowledge her for the longest time. When he finally spoke again he did not give away anything more than a few cold words, "Do you have to constantly remind me who is responsible for turning my life upside down? And would you be kind enough and stop calling me 'sir'?" He paused for a moment before saying, "It only makes it worse to know that the person responsible for all this is a child that's Harry's age."

"Yes sir." Hermione immediately grimaced at her own answer. It's a habit she would have to change. And that awkward exchange quickly put an end to their short conversation.

The familiar sight around the castle and inside the corridors put Hermione's mind slightly at ease. She prepared herself to face Dumbledore as she followed Severus into the waiting room outside the Headmaster's office.

"You will wait here when I meet with Dumbledore." Severus said, completely ignoring Hermione's surprised expression, "I will send for you when we are ready."

Hermione let out a frustrated sigh as she watched Severus murmur a password to the gargoyle and disappeared into Dumbledore's office.

She had hoped that she could be part of Severus' solution when they had to face Dumbledore. Her heart sank as she realized that the wizard didn't even tell her one word about his plans with Harry.

It almost felt as if the hands on the grandfather clock in the waiting room were charmed to move extraordinarily slowly on that particular morning. Hermione soon became terribly bored waiting in silence. Looking around, she discovered a bookshelf by the staircase. A smile escaped her when she realized all of the books on the shelf were on very advanced magic, on topics that she could never be able read about in the library. Hermione soon found herself lost in the fascinating theories in a book called "Beyond the Magic of the Most Advanced Spells".

If it wasn't because her stomach gave out an embarrassing growl, Hermione wouldn't have realized it was already lunch time. Just as she looked up again at the grandfather clock, she heard a loud crack in the room. A house-elf with large grey ears bounced to her side.

"Professor Dumbledore asked Tikky to bring Miss Granger some lunch. And the Headmaster apologizes for keeping Miss Granger here for so long."

"Thank you so much." Hermione answered politely, following the house-elf to a table by the window. The house-elf set down a tray, presenting Hermione with a bowl of soup and a fresh salad.

"What are they doing in there? It's so quiet. Are they even talking to each other?" Hermione asked curiously.

"Quiet?" The house-elf's ears perked up and his big eyes got even wider as he heard Hermione's question. "Miss Granger didn't hear? Oh... Professor Dumbledore knows good silencing charms. Yes yes... Miss Granger didn't hear Professor Snape because of the charm. Professor Snape has not been quiet Miss Granger. The Headmaster and Professor Snape have been arguing. Professor Snape raised his voice. Not quiet... Miss Granger. Not quiet in there."

The house-elf did not wait for Hermione to ask another question before disappearing with another loud crack.

The house-elf's words began to worry Hermione. She wished she knew why Severus was angry, why it was taking so long for him to talk to Dumbledore, and why she couldn't be part of their discussion.

She tried to force herself to get back into the book, but it became harder and harder. And finally, after the grandfather clock struck two, the gargoyle guarding the Headmaster's office turned, and Dumbledore walked down the stairs, "Miss Granger, sorry about the wait."

Hermione hurried to the steps and followed the Headmaster into his office, still holding the book she took from the waiting room. When she entered the room, she saw Severus standing by the window, with his back facing them.

"Miss Granger, lemon drop?" The Headmaster's question pulled Hermione's attention away from Severus.

"No thanks, Professor." She answered quietly, quickly remembering the every flavor beans that the Headmaster once offered her in his office.

"I see that you found my book collection." Dumbledore gestured at the book in Hermione's hands.

"Oh yes... I've read six books by Charles Shard, but have never seen this one in the library before." Hermione smiled politely and put the book down on the Headmaster's desk.

"He wrote a total of seven books Miss Granger. This is the only one that is not in the library." Dumbledore gave Hermione a warm smile, before sending Severus a quick glance. But the wizard in black did not turn to meet the Headmaster's gaze.

"I appreciate you coming back to our world to warn us about the terrible events that will take place in our future." The Headmaster began kindly, "And I assure you, we will not let the terrible fate happen to Harry, or Severus."

Hermione looked over at Severus, but he still did not turn to meet her eyes, almost as if he would rather not be part of the conversation.

"That's great Professor. Is Harry going back to Professor Snape's place now?"

The Headmaster smiled at Hermione, "There are always more than one solution to a problem Miss Granger. Severus and I have spent the past few hours exploring all the alternatives and possibilities."

"And?" Hermione frowned, she wasn't sure what the Headmaster meant by alternatives.

"There are many reasons why it is not ideal for Severus to take custody of the boy. To ensure Harry's safety, I will assign additional assistance to Arabella Figg, who is currently living under cover in the Dursleys' neighborhood, and provide a better watch over Harry."

"But what about Se... Professor Snape?" Hermione was surprised that Severus would agree with Dumbledore again on not getting Harry back.

"Severus' proposed plans have some... imperfections." The Headmaster answered, still smiling kindly at Hermione, "In case you don't know, Professor Snape has many other very important responsibilities, which created certain limitations for his ability to be Harry's permanent guardian."

"What about me?" Hermione asked, "I am almost eighteen. I can be Harry's guardian. He doesn't have to stay with the Dursleys. There must be other protective charms we can use. And Professor Snape can also help protecting the boy. I'm sure he has no problem with that, does he?" Hermione wasn't sure about anything anymore. She had thought that Severus cared about Harry like his own son.

"That had been suggested, Miss Granger." The Headmaster was still the only one talking. "As far as your role in all this, Miss Granger..." Dumbledore walked around his desk and stood before Hermione, "You have been one of the topics of our conversation."

Hermione felt her cheeks burning upon hearing the information.

"You don't belong to our time, Miss Granger," The Headmaster continued, "You seem to be a very bright witch of your age and will certainly have a very bright future in your time. You should not be burdened with the duty of babysitting a child."

"What are you saying Professor?" Hermione asked, alarmed by the Headmaster's words.

"We have decided that it would be best for you to return to the future to which you belong." Dumbledore answered. "And to make it easier for you, I will help you forget the two journeys you took into your past. Rest assured Miss Granger, everything will be fine. When you fast forward your time turner, I will be waiting for you right here in my office. I can also have Severus join us here, and Harry, of course, if you like."

Hermione gasped in surprise as the Headmaster's words began to make sense to her: Dumbledore was going to obliviate her, before making her fast forward her time turner. And this time, she would be forced to accept the future, because she would have no memory to remind her how thing used to be.

"You... decided for me?" Hermione was so shocked by the Headmaster's plans that she could barely make her words audible.

"Do not worry Miss Granger," The Headmaster continued to smile warmly at the young witch, "I will make it fast. It'll be nearly painless. We will see you very soon, and can help you get used to the future that you belong to."

"That is not my future!" Hermione raised her voice, "Se... Professor Snape!" She turned to the wizard still standing quietly by the window, "How can you let him talk you into this? What did he say?" She suddenly remembered what Dumbledore had told her before: _I can be very convincing if I wanted to..._

"Professor Snape has already put a lot of consideration into our plans, Miss Granger." Dumbledore answered for Severus. "We both agree this is best for you."

"Best for me?" Hermione could only feel the anger rising in her, but couldn't find the words to respond, "Severus! Do you not have anything to say about this?" She felt her tears threatening to fall.

Severus dropped his head, but still would not turn to face her, "It's all for your own good." was all he would say.

"No!" Hermione bellowed. She quickly took off the gold chain around her neck, and pulled out her wand. With the time turner dangling on the chain in one hand, her wand in another, she said to the Headmaster, "You have no right to make any decision about my life, Professor. You don't even know me!"

"Miss Granger, be careful with that!" Dumbledore's voice suddenly became very serious, "that is your only way to return to your world."

Hermione could see from the corner of her eye that Severus had hurried to her side as he heard the old wizard's words. But she ignored him. She stared right into Dumbledore's eyes and said, "My world? My world does not exist anymore. I am the only one who can decide on my own future. And I happen to have already made that decision before I came to see you. True, I was from the future; but all I have now is the present, and the present is where I will be."

Without waiting for the old wizard's response Hermione pointed her wand at the time turner. With a silent spell, a bright light shot out of her wand and hit the time turner, turning it into a burst of finest gold dust. All there left was absolute silence in the Headmaster's office.

"Hermione! What have you done!" It was Severus who said the first word.

Hermione was surprised as she heard Severus calling her given name for the first time. But then she heard a sigh from the Headmaster.

"Miss Granger... What can I say... Harry is fortunate to have a friend like you."

Hermione narrowed her eyes at the old wizard. What she had heard on this day had shattered the credibility of the old man. "Don't flatter me Professor. In a couple of weeks I am going to formally request the legal guardianship for Harry from the Ministry. An age verification charm will easily prove that I am old enough to be Harry's permanent guardian. And I know it will take no time for the Dursleys to sign on the dotted line to approve the adoption. I can only hope that you will not interfere with my efforts."

"While what you're about to do for Harry is absolutely admirable Miss Granger, may I remind you that a legal guardian must be financially independent? Have you considered that?" Dumbledore asked kindly. However Hermione couldn't see any warmth in his smile.

She drew a sharp breath, she had not thought of that.

"That should not be an issue." Came Severus' cool voice, "as I will provide the necessary financial support for both of them while Miss Granger is looking for employment. After that, we can revisit the arrangement. To the minimum, I am still willing to offer support for the boy."

Dumbledore shook his head as he walked away from the pair. He stopped in front of Fawkes and let out a small chuckle, "I guess there are always limits to an old man's wish. Very well. But Severus, just keep in mind what I told you."

Hermione turned to look at Severus, wondering if the wizard would explain what Dumbledore meant; but Severus simply gave a curt nod towards Dumbledore before making his way towards the door. As he was about to walk down the steps he paused and asked, "What about Sirius Black?"

"I shall pay the Weasleys a visit in the morning." was the Headmaster's reply.

* * *

Hermione wasn't sure what to say to Severus as they made their way back to Hogsmeade. She thought about thanking him for offering her the financial support allowing her to proceed with her plans to adopt Harry. One the other hand however, she was still very angry with the man. What made him think he had the right to make a decision for her life? And why would he even agree with Dumbledore on not getting Harry back the first place? Hermione's brows furrowed as she thought of Severus' reaction when she destroyed the time turner. Was he really concerned about her well-being? Or was he upset with her defiance? And what was Dumbledore referring to right before they left? What did the old wizard tell Severus?

There were too many questions on Hermione's mind. And it was painful for her to realize that she would not find the answers easily. She no longer trusted Dumbledore; and she didn't know what to think of Severus Snape.

"You asked Dumbledore to look for Peter Pettigrew?" She decided to temporarily forget her questions and start on a subject that was slightly distant from their discussion in Dumbledore's office.

"I told him what I saw in your memory." He answered simply.

"You want to help Sirius? I thought you two didn't get along. I didn't know you were friends."

"Did I say we got along? Did I say we were friends?" Severus snarled, and promptly concluded the conversation.

Neither one of them said another word until they reached Hogsmeade. "Where are we going now?" Hermione asked.

"I did say Harry needed to come home, didn't I?" Severus answered, "And thanks to your irrational actions, I get to keep my word."

Hermione could only shake her head as she watched Severus' thin lips curled up into a small smile.

She honestly did not get Severus Snape.

* * *

They apparated into Little Whinging just a little past five. The streets were already getting dark on this chilly winter day. Before they turn to the path leading to the Dursleys' house, the front door suddenly flung open. A small boy dashed out the door and ran straight to Severus.

"Uncle Sev!" Harry wrapped his little arms around the Severus' leg and hid his face in the tall wizard's billowing cloak, "Can I come home with you now? I've been waiting for you at the window every day. Why did it take you so long?"

Hermione couldn't make out Severus' expression in the dim light as he picked up the little boy. All she could hear was him saying softly to the boy, "I'm sorry Harry. We're going home now."

"Yeah!" The little boy cheered as he held on tight to Severus' neck and rested his head on the wizard's shoulder. His eyes widened in excitement as he noticed the young woman following his Uncle Sev. "Auntie Mione!" he screamed, reaching over for Hermione.

Severus handed Harry to Hermione as he went to meet the Dursleys at the door. Hermione could tell from the distance that the conversation was getting tenser by the second. Quickly she walked on over to join Severus, with Harry still in her arms. Pulling on Severus' sleeve gently, she said, "Forget it Severus. Let's go."

Later that night, it took much longer than usual for them to get the overly excited Harry to calm down. The little boy followed Severus and Hermione everywhere the entire evening. When Severus finally sat down in his study, the little boy climbed up to his lap and whispered in his ear, "Uncle Sev, can I tell her our secret?"

Severus arched an eyebrow at the boy for a moment before replying, "I don't see why not."

Hermione observed their exchange curiously, and was surprised to see the little boy bounce off of Severus' lap and run straight to her. "Auntie Mione, I want to tell you a secret!"

"What is it?" Hermione smiled at the excited boy.

"Uncle Sev is a wizard! And I am one too! He knows magic! He said I will be able to do it too when I'm older!"

"Wow, isn't that wonderful!" Hermione exclaimed with exaggeration, "I also have a secret to tell _you_, Harry." She could help but grinning brightly at the little boy, "Guess what? I am a witch! Here, let's put some stars in your room!" She pulled out her wand and began to usher the boy to his room, "Say good night to Uncle Sev Harry. You can play with him again in the morning."

Listening to the laughter and giggles coming from the upstairs bedroom, Severus poured himself a glass of firewhiskey. As he settled back down in his chair by the fireplace, Dumbledore's words from earlier that day slowly began to replay in his head...

_"Consider what you saw in her memory a warning Severus... It is not wise for you to become so attached to the boy..._

_"The more people know how you feel about the child, the more danger you will bring to him, and yourself... there is a war looming in the horizon... you are a soldier, a spy, not a father..._

_"Harry will never accept you as his father, especially when he discovers what you did to his parents, Severus. Do you plan on never tell him the truth? Don't you think he deserves to know? He may never forgive you... Why set yourself up for the pain of rejection? It is only wise to let others to take care of him..._

_"Do not be selfish Severus... She has a bright future in her time... She is young... You can't expect her to give up her career and a family she will call her own someday to take care of Harry. She is Harry's friend... not his mother."_

Severus closed his eyes and let out a sigh. There was simply too much on his mind. The young witch had apologized to him for turning his life upside-down, apparently thinking her bringing Harry into his life was a terrible mistake. Yet truth be told Severus had considered it a blessing to have Harry in his life. He would have never known what it was like to be loved, loved by an innocent child. He wanted to thank her... if words were enough to express his gratitude. But then she returned again, destroyed her time turner, and would soon become Harry's legal guardian. Was that her plan all along? To take the boy away from him? Would she hate him like the boy would eventually do when they discover his past? Severus wasn't sure if he wanted to know the answers.

He took a long drink of his firewhiskey, let the fire burn in his throat, hoping it would soon numb his mind. All he knew was that the witch did care for Harry. And that, might just be enough, for now.

* * *

**_This is really a transitioning chapter. Dumbledore thought he had Severus wrapped around his little finger because of a promise; Severus thought he would lose everything at the end; and Hermione thought she was all alone in this "present" world. How wrong were they all..._**

**_I have been going through some major challenges with my career... choices choices choices. I wish Professor Trelawney could lend me a crystal ball... My muse obviously is not pleased with all the distractions. My writing is taking some serious toll because of that. I hope this chapter pass the muster. Let me know..._**


	8. A Thundering Night

**_MioneSevShipper, morriganandjess, JeniDRalph, Stepphiebob22, MandyJ, notwritten, phoenixqueen15, Soundgarden9, LadyDunla, viola1701e, Nutters4Potter, dontleavetonight, NAO-chan33, duj, BigTimeGleekBTR, and my anonymous guests, thank you all for your reviews!_**

**_I apologize if I offended any of you because of the way Dumbledore was portrayed in the previous chapters. I had no intention of making him sound like a heartless control freak (although he did act like one in the previous chapter, didn't he). He was the general of an army, and was preparing to fight a very difficult war. It was his responsibility to use all the means he could get his hands on to fight against the Dark Lord. I hope you don't blame him (and by extension, do not blame me :D). However, that didn't mean everyone should follow his decisions blindly, as he had already discovered in our last chapter through Hermione's words. And let's just leave it like that. After all, the powerful old wizard has only a small part in this story..._**

**_All characters belong to the brilliant J. K. Rowling._**

* * *

**Chapter Eight - A Thundering Night**

Severus had never found the green flames of the floo so appealing before. Since the end of Christmas break, he felt as if he had slowly developed an addiction of some sort: every afternoon around a certain time, he had an undeniable urge to throw a handful of floo powder into his fireplace, and follow the green flames to his destination. The destination was always the same: a small house in Hogsmeade shared by a witch and a little boy.

In order to be close to him, yet still maintain a good distance to keep their connection from public eyes, Hermione moved herself and Harry into a small house on a quiet street at the edge of Hogsmeade right before school resumed. She made it clear from the very beginning, that she would stay close to wherever Severus would be. "Harry wanted to see you often." She had simply said.

Severus had no complaints about the arrangement. If it were up to him, he wished they could stay in the castle. Staying close would allow him to reach Harry quickly if the boy needed his protection; although he had no idea what he would need to protect the boy from. He was certain that he had heard too much of Dumbledore's concerns about the return of the Dark Lord; and perhaps, the old man's paranoia had finally begun to rub off on him.

Severus had considered asking the Headmaster to allow Hermione and Harry stay in the castle, although he could not find a good reason. The school had never housed anyone who was not a student or a faculty member on a long-term basis, except for family members on a couple of occasions years ago. Family members? Severus snorted when the phrase came into his mind. Just what on earth was he thinking? They would most certainly never be his family members!

When Hermione and Harry moved to Hogsmeade, Severus had first said that he would visit them only on weekends. However after the first couple of days, Severus quickly realized that the little boy would prefer to see him every day; and he had to admit that the desire was mutual. It warmed his heart to know that he was missed when he wasn't there; and it was difficult for him to hide his smile when the little boy ran into his arms every time when he stepped out of the fireplace. Hermione didn't say a word about him breaking his promise of only visiting on weekends; and Severus was grateful of that.

Within a couple of weeks they had started a routine: Severus would visit every afternoon after school, join the witch and the boy for dinner, stay a short while after Harry went to bed, discuss with Hermione about various things that she was working on (first it was the move, then the adoption procedures, and later her search for a job), before returning to Hogwarts afterwards to fulfill his responsibilities as a professor, which usually involved making his rounds at the castle and sneering at the students who came to him for detentions.

It was during those nightly discussions when Severus discovered how intelligent the witch truly was. She had told him that she was only half way through her sixth year when she "returned" to this present world. However when he began to talk to her, he realized that her knowledge in magic was far more advanced than most of his seventh-year students. When he asked if she had considered studying on her own for the N.E.W.T.s, he saw great excitement sparkling in the witch's eyes. Severus had never met anyone who would get excited about taking the exams. He only brought it up because as he pointed out, she would be able to apply for much better positions if she had good scores from N.E.W.T.s.

He was only half serious when he made the suggestion. But Hermione showed him her plans the very next day when he visited in the evening. She consulted with him the courses that she should focus on based on her scores from her O.W.L.s. Severus observed the witch curiously as she explained from her detailed study plan down to the specific games she would have Harry play so that she could focus on her daily study. Her enthusiasm amused him.

When he brought her a stack of text books from Diagon Alley, and some supplemental reading materials from Hogwarts' library the following weekend, she thanked him with a warm hug. Severus was once again shocked by the unexpected embrace; but this time he only arched an eyebrow when she wrapped her arms around him. He later wondered what had stopped him from making a snarly comment, and what had bewitched him into returning the gesture by pulling her into his arms.

Their evening conversations quickly turned into private tutoring sessions. Hermione always had question ready for Severus as soon as she put Harry to bed. Her enthusiasm in learning was absolutely refreshing. Severus was sure that his job as a teacher would be a lot more satisfying if those dunderheads in his class could have an ounce of the interest and talent possessed by the young witch.

Weeks passed by quickly, and their meeting time at night slowly became longer and longer. The trouble makers at Hogwarts found themselves serving evening detentions more and more frequently with Filch. Snape seemed to have lost his interest in making students scrubbing his lab equipment in the dungeon at night.

On this particular day, Severus was running a little bit later than usual. A couple of Gryffindor students blew up their cauldrons in his last class of the day. The two boys got themselves each a full week of detention with Filch, for not following the instructions on the board. Of course they would never have guessed the true reason for the severe punishment: they had delayed Severus' visit to the home belonged to a little boy and his guardian. After dealing with the students and the mess in the classroom, Severus still had to stop by Madam Pomfrey's office, taking orders from the school nurse on several flu potions that she had decided to stock up. Madam Pomfrey obviously was not aware of Severus' plans for the evening, and decided to share with him all sorts of details about her trip to Scotland over Christmas.

"You should go travel young man. There is much to see outside of England." The witch smiled at the Potions Master. Severus only nodded. He was in too much of a hurry; and offering any sarcastic remarks would only be a waste of his valuable time.

It took too long before he could finally return to his private quarters. Picking up a few books he had set aside for Hermione, he threw a handful of floo powder into his fireplace.

"Uncle Sev!" Harry literally jumped into his arms as soon as he stepped out of the green flames. "Come look! I drew a picture of you!"

The boy dragged the tall wizard to the table that was covered with his color pencils and pieces of parchment. "For you!" The boy held up a painting proudly to Severus.

Severus narrowed his eyes at the figure in the picture. Was that supposed to be him?

"What is this?" He pointed at the box on top of the head of the figure.

"It's a hat!" Harry answered brightly.

"A hat?" Severus arched an eyebrow at the boy, "Have you ever seen me wearing a hat Harry?"

"He is into drawing boys and girls today." Hermione entered the room from the kitchen and greeted Severus with a smile, "All of the boys wear hats, according to Harry; and girls wear pink hair bows."

"This is me!" Harry handed Severus another piece of parchment.

Severus noticed a smaller box on top of the head of the smaller figure in the picture. Looking back at the one that was supposed to be a portrait of him, Severus pointed at another distinct part of the man's face. "What is this thing in the middle of my face?"

"That's your nose!" Harry answered happily.

Hermione couldn't hold back a snicker upon hearing the little boy's declaration. Severus shot her a stern glare before turning his attention back to boy, "Did you make one of these for your Auntie Mione?"

"Yes!" Harry answered cheerfully, "Here it is."

Severus took the piece of parchment from Harry and looked closely at it. The face on this drawing was almost identical as the one that was supposed to be him, less the enormous nose and the hat. The most distinct part of this drawing however, was the hair. If not because of the pink hair bow, Severus was sure he was face to face with Medusa.

"Remarkable." Severus nodded, trying to hide the smirk spreading across his face, "Very true to character."

"Don't you boys dare making fun of me!" Hermione pretended to sound angry, but couldn't help smiling at the drawing herself.

The little boy took the drawings from Severus and ran away to his room, "I'm putting them up on the wall by my bed!" He announced.

Still trying to wipe the smirk off of his face, Severus handed the three books he brought along with him to Hermione.

Hermione gasped as she took a quick look at the titles, "Madam Prince let me have these? They must be coming from the restricted section!"

"Madam Prince let _ME_ have them." Severus corrected her, "But only for a week. I gave that witch my word that I would bring them on time. Do not make me break my promise. That witch has some serious separation anxiety when it comes to her and her books. I would like them back by next Wednesday, with the exception for this one." Severus pointed at a leather-bound volume, "That is my copy. You can have it... until when you're done."

"Thank you." Hermione answered quietly, with her cheeks suddenly turned into a shade of rosy pink.

Severus watched curiously at the witch in front of him. How very strange... He had never thought anyone would blush because of the sight of some rare books.

"What's for dinner?" He decided to ask. It was probably the fireplace, but he found it a bit too warm in the living-room.

After dinner Severus and Hermione sat on the rug by the fireplace, watching Harry play with his wizard's blocks.

"You were late this evening. Were your students getting out of hand?" Hermione asked casually.

"Gryffindors... always the worst sorts of trouble makers." He answered.

"I don't know about that..." Hermione smiled, "The Slytherins didn't seem any better when I was at Hogwarts. They were only clever at covering up their mistakes so that they wouldn't get caught."

"Allow me to remind you who you are talking to, Miss Granger." Severus straightened up a bit and answered coolly, "Never underestimate the talents required for not getting caught."

Hermione shook her head and let out a small laugh. Who would have guessed that Snape's playful side could be so... charming.

"Speaking of work," Severus changed the subject, "I have been considering a possibility..."

His words caught Hermione's attention and she turned from the little boy to face him.

"Dumbledore had long ago agreed that my workload is beyond reasonable. I cannot perform all the responsibilities as a teacher, a head of house, a potioneer for the hospital wing, and a backup healer when Poppy is not available. He had agreed that I could make the decision to hire an assistant when I found the suitable candidate." He paused a brief moment, as if waiting for Hermione's interjection. When she didn't say a word, he let out a soft sigh and continued, "I thought you might be interested."

"Working as your assistant?" Hermione's eyes widened, "But what about my study? The exams are coming up in just a few months!"

"That was actually part of my consideration." Severus explained, "By officially working for the school, you can stay in the castle as a member of the faculty. That would allow you to go visit the library and the other professors more conveniently, and you can probably audit some classes if you like. The tasks you can help me with will likely to work well with the materials you need to study for the potions part of the exam. You may also find some relief in caring for Harry. From what I've heard, the house elves were exhilarated to know that Harry Potter is somewhere close to the castle."

"How did they know about that?" Hermione was slightly alarmed, "I thought I have been very careful not letting anyone know that we are here in Hogsmeade."

"I'm not sure," Severus frowned, "but I will inquire about it. Now back to my suggestion..."

Hermione took a deep breath. It was a very tempting opportunity. She would love to be back in the castle again. And she knew she would be able to learn so much more if she could work alongside Severus. But moving into the castle would also mean that her work would be controlled indirectly by Dumbledore. Her exchange with the Headmaster from a few weeks ago still managed to elevate her blood pressure every time when she thought about it.

"Well?" Severus wondered what was going through the mind of the young witch.

"Uh... That sounds tempting. I mean... really... But I don't know... I've never worked for a friend before. And having to face Dumbledore again..." She hesitated, "Let me just think about it for a little bit. Would that be alright?"

Severus thought his heart skip a beat when he heard her say "work for a friend". A friend? Why hadn't that word ever come to his mind before? Yet he quickly recovered from the shock, and proceeded to answering plainly, "But of course. Take your time."

The rest of the evening went on just like usual. After sending the boy to bed, and spending the next two hours reviewing Hermione's work on a couple of subjects, Severus stepped back into the green flames and disappeared into the fireplace.

* * *

The spring shower had turned into a thundering downpour by the time Hermione went to bed. As the rain drops tapping on the window pane, Hermione lay wide awake thinking about Severus' proposed job opportunity. Working with him would mean that she could see him more often, and be with him throughout the day. If this was a year ago, Hermione would have thought herself gone mad desiring Snape's company. What had changed? Could it be because he was no longer her intimidating professor? Could it be because she saw his softer side when he was playing with Harry? Could it be because she now thought of him as a friend? Or could it be the same reason why her cheeks always felt warm when he was in the room? Hermione buried her face in her pillow and shook her head in embarrassment.

Suddenly a sound of smashing glass reached her ears. Hermione sat bolt upright in alarm. The noise sounded like it was coming from downstairs. Quickly she hopped off of her bed and ran to the window. Looking through the pouring rain, she couldn't see anyone outside the front door. Hurrying to the windows in the opposite wall, Hermione saw the intruders.

Four people wearing black traveling cloaks were standing in the garden, with one of them still working on breaking the rest of a back window. Clearly they were not able to break through the charm that Hermione put up at the front door, and had changed their plans to focus on the back of the house. Hermione quickly realized these were not some random burglars. When one of them looked up towards the second floor she saw the mask: it was a death eater's mask!

Hermione gasped in fear and quickly ran to Harry's room. She knew she would have no chance fending off four of them while still keeping Harry from being captured or harmed. Dare not wasting a second she quickly picked up the boy who was still asleep. Before she could run out of the room however, she heard the sound of boots stepping on broken glass, and realized it was already too late to get to the floo downstairs. Quickly she wrapped the boy with a blanket, and with a soft pop, she disapparated with Harry into an open field.

"Auntie Mione?" Harry shivered when he felt drops of cold water falling on his face. Fear was clear in the little boy's voice.

"Shhh... Harry." Hermione tried to sound calm, "Don't worry. We are going to visit Uncle Sev in the castle. But we don't want to wake up any of the neighbors, so you will need to be very quiet for me, okay?"

With her trembling hand Hermione pointed her wand towards the castle at Hogwarts. A silvery otter quickly bounced through the fields and disappeared into the darkness.

Hermione knew she could not stay still and wait for help. The death eaters would soon discover that their target had already left the house, and would most certainly come after them on this road, the only path leading to Hogwarts, the place that was protected by Dumbledore's powerful magic.

Not wanting to give her location away, Hermione dare not light up her wand. That made her progress much more difficult at this moonless night. The road was muddy and slippery; and Hermione was already soaking wet. Her teeth chattered as the freezing cold rain drops dripped down her hair. She pulled the blanket around Harry up a little more and tried to cover the boy's head. Holding on to Harry a little tighter, she made small but hasty steps in the darkness.

She soon heard footsteps from behind and screams and shouts echoing in the rain, "Get them before they get to the castle grounds! They can't be too far!" Knowing there was no way she could outrun the four death eaters, Hermione dived down the side of the road and hid behind a tree. Quickly she cast a silencing spell and a protective charm around herself and Harry, hoping it would be good enough to keep them safe from the death eater's pursue.

She watched in silence as the light of four wands slowly closing in. Her heart was racing in her throat when another swirl of black smoke suddenly descended from the sky. Before she could even react to the fear for another death eater joining the ambush however, she saw bright lights shot out from the new comer's wand. Taken completely by surprise, the four death eaters didn't have the slightest chance to react to the attack, and were immediately taken down by the stunning curse.

Then, to Hermione's greatest relief, she heard the familiar voice, "Are you alright?"

Through her chattering lips Hermione let out a small cry, "Yes. We are fine." Slowly she climbed up from the muddy ground to meet her rescuer.

The wizard was already standing in front of her when she straightened herself up from behind the tree.

"Uncle Sev!" Harry let out a small whimper, not understanding what was happening in this wet and dark night.

The wizard's strong arms immediately wrapped around Hermione and Harry. "Hold on tight," He ordered, "We are going back to the castle."

"But we can't apparate into..." before Hermione could finish her words, she heard the rushing wind in her ears. Her eyes widened as she realized: they were flying.

She held on tight to Severus and buried her face in his chest. The warmth radiating from his body calmed her racing heart. As his embrace tightened around her, Hermione closed her eyes.

She was not afraid any more.

* * *

**_Alright I probably need to add a little extra explanation... At this point of the story Voldemort was nowhere near to returning to the world. The assumption here is that some of his followers had discovered Harry Potter's whereabouts (if the house elves knew, so could the death eaters) and decided to do something about the boy who defeated their leader. It was a good thing that Severus had been using the floo instead of walking in broad daylight. The master of concealment always knew how to keep his secrets. =)_**

**_A little bit of reality in the story... When my little girl was about three, she started putting "hats" on all of the boys in her drawing: daddy, grandpa, our cat Henry, Mr. Snail that she found in the backyard... Thought I would share..._**

**_Like always, I'd love to hear from you..._**


	9. Returning to the Castle

**_phoenixqueen15, LadyDunla, morriganandjess,viola1701e, NAO-chan33, MandyJ, SaikaHan, JeniDRalph, worrywart, BigTimeGleekBTR, Stephiebob22, solosinger1, Hannie597, E-man-dy-S, duj, Sandy, loli, and my anonymous guests, thank you all for your reviews! _**

**_I love your feedback, your questions, and your comments. If I left any of your questions unanswered, it's only because you are one step ahead of me. =)_**

**_This is probably a good time to revisit the premises of this story. The story happened right after Book Five: The Order of Phoenix. At that point, Hermione was able to learn a lot of important information about the Dark Lord, certain connections between Harry and Voldemort, the Order, and some (but not all) information about Severus. The key here is that Hermione did not know about the horcruxes. Dumbledore suspected that Voldemort used a very powerful dark magic after Harry's second year, through the whole experience dealing with Tom Riddle's diary. However, the Headmaster did not obtain his knowledge about the horcruxes until he had Harry convince Slughorn to offer his memory in Book Six, which never happened for this story._**

**_I have to confess that your encouragement and support had expanded my story line tremendously. My original plan was to skip through the whole fighting against Voldemort scene and leave all that excitement with your own imagination. However, after reading several reviews on the previous chapters, I am convinced that it would be a big mistake if I don't follow our hero and heroine through the adventure together. How can I shy away from the challenge now that I have all the love and support from you? =) Just so that you know... the story happens because of you!_**

**_All characters belong to the brilliant J. K. Rowling._**

* * *

**Chapter Nine - Returning to the Castle**

Sometimes the most magical healing power could be offered by the simplest thing. Slowly submerging herself into the hot bath, Hermione felt the anxiety from the late night drama slowly leaving her. The warmth that was surrounding her soothed her body and calmed her mind.

When she was done with the bath, she found a black bathrobe waiting for her on the rack by the bathroom door. She shook her head and smiled, would the man ever consider any other colors for his wardrobe?

The robe was thick and warm, reminded her of his embrace when they were flying back to the castle. Her cheeks began to burn as she recalled how he held her in his arms. Quickly she splashed some cold water on her face, hoping to school away the embarrassing blush.

When she finally left the bathroom and walked into the living-room, she found the wizard sitting by the fire, with the little boy's head resting on his shoulder, fast asleep.

Severus arched an eyebrow when he noticed Hermione from the corner of his eye. Carefully he picked Harry up and got up from the sofa. Without a word he carried the boy with him and disappeared into his bedroom. A few moments later Severus reemerged from the doorway. Closing the door behind him he said, "I left a small lamp on for him. He came out from the bedroom when you were in the bath, and said that he didn't want to be in the dark."

Walking over to the sofa by the fireplace, Severus pointed his wand and murmured a spell, quickly transfigured the sofa into a small sofa bed. "I sent Dumbledore a message about tonight's event. He has called in the aurors and by now they probably have already picked up the four death eaters. I will receive more information in the morning. Unfortunately for tonight, it's too late to find you a better place to stay; even the house elves have retired already. We will have to find you two a safer place in the morning. Harry can have my bed tonight. You can have this sofa bed, if you don't mind. If you need me, I'll be in the study."

"In your study?" Hermione asked, "Aren't you going to sleep?"

"I'm not tired." Severus said impassively, before walking towards his study.

"Wait," Hermione stopped him. "Severus... I'm not tired either. Can you stay for a bit here with me?"

He considered her request for a brief moment, before coming back into the room, and settling down in a wing-back chair next to the sofa bed.

There was a long pause of silence; yet not an uncomfortable one. The wizard and the witch simply relaxed in their chairs, watching the dancing flames in the fireplace.

"Was that dark magic?" Quietly Hermione brought up the question that was occupying her mind.

Severus looked up at her, slightly alarmed.

"Flying... You flew to help us, and flew us back. Was that dark magic?" She clarified.

He returned his gaze to the fire before answering her with a question, "Does it matter?"

"No." She said, "But I want to know."

He took a few moments to consider his answer; finally he said, "Not all of the dark magic is evil."

Hermione looked up and studied the wizard in front of her. Did he think she was accusing him for doing what he had to do to help her and Harry? "Of course." She said, "Most weapons were not created for the purpose of destruction."

He looked up and met her eyes with his deep dark ones, but didn't say a word.

"Thank you for coming to help us." She held his gaze and smiled.

He gave her a curt nod, and turned his attention back to the orange flames in the fireplace.

"Did they see you?" Hermione suddenly frowned as she recalled the rescue. She would hate it if she made Severus reveal his connections with Harry to the Death Eaters.

"I doubt it. They did not expect the interruption. I had it handled pretty quickly." He thought for a brief moment before looking back at her, "An otter? How interesting. I have to admit that I was surprised to know you were able to conjure a patronum."

"You didn't see it in my memory?" She looked at him curiously, "I learned it from Harry."

"From Harry?" Severus sounded slightly surprised. "One of these days you will have to tell me just how the boy managed to do that so early with his study. But no, I was in a hurry when I was... in your... head. I only focused on some of the major events that supported your report on your usage of the time turner." He paused for a moment, shifted uncomfortably in his chair a little bit, before saying, "I must apologize for invading your mind. It was not necessary."

"Please do not apologize." Hermione answered quickly, "I asked you to do it. And it _WAS_ necessary. Otherwise how would you know I wasn't lying to you again. And..." She paused for a quick moment, "If you wish to examine my memories again... just let me know. It would be fine with me."

"No." He answered immediately, "That should never be necessary again Hermione. It must be painful for you, and I apologize."

"I told you not to apologize." She smiled again, "And never say never."

He frowned at her, looking confused.

"What if I told you that I wanted to learn occlumency from you? Wouldn't you need to try to get into my head so that I can learn how to block you?" There was a mischievous sparkle in her eyes.

"You want to learn occlumency?"

"Would you teach me?"

"Is there anything in the world you don't want to learn, Miss Granger?" He pressed his lips tight together, trying to prevent a small smile form escaping, "Maybe we can give it a try after you are done with your N.E.W.T.s. It's not an easy subject."

"That's what I heard." She nodded quietly. "Harry couldn't get a handle of it himself."

"Harry tried to learn occlumency? Wasn't he only in his fifth year when you last saw him as a friend? That's a bit too early." Severus couldn't believe his ears, "Who was teaching him?"

The smile in Hermione's face froze upon hearing Severus' question. After a short pause she took a deep breath, "You."

Severus noticed Hermione's reaction when he asked the question, and sensed the unspoken information hidden behind the simple answer. "Just how exactly was the relationship between Harry and me in the world where you came from?"

Hermione frowned and began to chew on her bottom lip. If she didn't see the old Christmas Card from Lily at Spinner's End, she might have never been able to understand why the Snape from her world hated Harry so much. She had guessed that the reason why the Potions Master had disliked Harry was because of the boy's resemblance of James Potter, the man who won over the witch who stole young Severus' heart.

"Was it really... that... difficult?" Severus guessed the answer without waiting for her words.

She nodded slightly, "You two never managed to see eye to eye. There was some misunderstanding... probably from both sides."

Hermione swallowed hard as she waited for Severus to ask her to elaborate on her statement. However, he never said another word. A long moment of silence later, she heard him letting out a sigh. "It's late. I should let you get some sleep." He said quietly, and got up from his chair.

Hermione didn't know why but she felt like crying as she watched the wizard walking towards his study. His form was slightly slouching forward, as if struggling with an invisible weight on his shoulders. Was it something she said? She didn't want their conversation to end this way.

"About your job offer..." She called after him, promptly stopping him on his path, "is it still on the table?"

"Certainly." He answered, "If you need more time to think about it..."

"No, I've thought long enough." Hermione said, "When can I start?"

Hermione watched the corners of Severus thin lips slowly curled up into a smile. "As soon as you like."

She smiled back at the wizard, "The sooner the better. I can start in the next couple of days."

Severus nodded curtly before turning towards his study. When he reached the door he looked back at her, "Good night Hermione."

"Good night, Severus."

* * *

Severus hesitated before he picked up the half glass of firewhiskey left on the desk in his study. Alcohol probably should no longer be part of his nightly routine because of the event occurred earlier that evening. He still couldn't believe how he didn't see this coming: even with the Dark Lord gone, there certainly were still plenty of his followers who wanted revenge on the boy.

His heart clenched as he recalled the silvery otter delivering the message... "Severus! Four Death Eaters are after us... They are after Harry... Help me..." He remembered how everything on his mind suddenly turned blank. It was a feeling as if he was sinking into a dark hole, where fear and despair threatened to swallow him. He couldn't bear the thought of losing the boy... he couldn't bear the thought of losing... her.

He remembered how he held on to the witch and the boy desperately when he flew them back to the castle. He was thankful for her quick thinking; he was thankful that he wasn't too late. What could have happened if he was? He dared not imagine the consequences.

He frowned at the golden liquid and set the glass down. Leaning over the desk, he looked at the stack of essays he just collected earlier that day from the fourth-year students. A small smile came to the corner of his lips: she had agreed to his offer. Her assistance would help with his workload; that would be for sure. However for Severus, getting help with his work was probably the last thing that was on his mind when he offered her the position. What he truly wanted was to have them close to him in the castle; and he was grateful that she granted him his wish.

He had noticed recently how much he wanted to be around the witch. It was as if the hours of their study sessions at night were never enough. He frowned at his self-assessment, and shook his head disapprovingly. He should not expect her to return the feelings. Even if she did now, she would soon change her mind when she discovered his guilty deeds.

His guilty deeds... Severus ran a hand through his hair and let out a sigh. He was not at all surprised when Hermione told him that he and Harry didn't get along in the world where she came from. Severus didn't care to ask about the "misunderstanding" she was referring to. None of that mattered. At the end it would all be the same. Harry would know the truth, and he would hate him for bringing the doom to his parents.

Severus buried his head in his hands: the future would be hopeless. But then he looked up towards the door leading to the living-room, and he decided that he would worry about that some other day. Tomorrow he would let Dumbledore know he had hired an assistant; and that might just make tomorrow a pretty good day.

* * *

Hermione felt something heavy on her legs. It was moving... No, it wasn't a thing. Were those knees? Arms? And then... bunk! Something hit her head.

"Wake up Auntie Mione!" She heard a cheerful voice.

"Wha..." She rubbed her eyes and tried to look at her surroundings, and slowly remembered the night before. "Hey Harry." She realized it was Harry's head bumping into hers when he climbed into her sofa bed. "What are you doing?"

"Wake up Auntie Mione!" little Harry said again, "Uncle Sev is going to work soon. Don't you want to say good-bye?"

Quickly Hermione climbed out of the sofa bed, desperately trying to smooth out her hair.

"Uncle Sev said we will be staying in the castle with him, is it true?" Harry asked eagerly. "Can we stay? Please please pleeease?"

"Good morning." A cool velvet voice greeted her before she could find the words to calm the excited boy.

"Oh hi, Severus, Good morning." Hermione cursed inwardly as she felt her cheeks burning again.

"I have to go meet with Dumbledore before my first class." Severus said plainly, as if he didn't notice her rosy cheeks, "I will inform him with your decision. Why don't you come to my office this afternoon around two, and we will go see him together."

Picking up his black cloak he made his way out towards the door, "By the way, I have asked the house elves to bring you and Harry breakfast and lunch. I will ask Poppy for some spare cloths for you. You may need to shrink the items for Harry. I doubt she has anything for children his age." When noticing Hermione's furrowing brow he added, "Don't worry about Poppy. I will ask the house elves to deliver the cloths. Poppy would never ask questions unless if it is absolutely necessary. She will not know about last night. She will not know about the connections between us."

Hermione could only nod at all the information given to her. Last night's scare had taken its toll. She really wasn't quite up yet. It was only when Severus' hand reached the door knob when she managed to find her voice, "Uh Severus... Thank you... for everything. I will see you at two."

Severus gave her a small but definite smile, and turned the door knob, only to be interrupted again by little Harry's hug around his legs. "Bye Uncle Sev!"

"I will see you later Harry." Severus patted the boy's head gently before walking down the castle corridor, with his black cloak billowing behind him.

* * *

Little Harry skipped excitedly in front of Hermione and Severus as the two made their way towards the Headmaster's office. The little boy's eyes widened as he looked up at the impressive gargoyle looking down at him.

"Sherbet lemon." Severus said the password quietly.

Harry's jaw dropped as the gargoyle turned to reveal the Headmaster's office. "Wow." The boy exclaimed, but quickly found himself being led up the stairs passed the gargoyle.

"Hello there Harry. Good to see you again." Harry's attention was soon pulled by a friendly voice behind the desk. Looking up, he found an old man with very long white beard. He smiled at Harry, with his eyes twinkling behind his half-moon spectacles.

"This is Professor Dumbledore Harry." Severus said to the boy.

"Hi... Professor..." Harry's voice trailed off as he smiled shyly at the old wizard.

"Would you like a lemon drop Harry?" Dumbledore offered his candy jar, "You are such a big boy now."

Severus observe curiously as Harry looked up at Hermione for permission.

"You can take one piece Harry." Hermione smiled at the boy.

"Ah Miss Granger," the Headmaster greeted the witch cheerfully, "Good to see you again. I am terribly sorry to hear about the ordeal you and Harry had to go through last night. And I am pleased to know that you have decided to come and work for Hogwarts."

"Good to see you too, Professor Dumbledore. And thank you for your concern." Hermione replied politely, but the smile in her face seemed slightly forced, "I appreciate the opportunity to work for Professor Snape." She offered her correction subtly.

There was a slight tension lingering in her words, but it was soon driven away by Harry's curious question, "Professor... uh... Dumbledore, is that a real bird?" He pointed at the phoenix.

"Oh most certainly yes!" the old wizard chuckled as he waved at his pet. The beautiful bird took a small hop and landed on his shoulder. "This is Fawkes. He is a phoenix. Maybe Fawkes can keep you company when the grown-ups have a boring word with each other." Dumbledore let the bird walked on his hand before putting him down on a shelf in another part of his office. The boy and the bird soon began to examine each other with great interest.

"So... back to business, shall we?" The Headmaster made his way back to Hermione and Severus, "I have informed the other faculty members about our new addition. They would expect to see you around the castle starting from today or tomorrow, Miss Granger. As far as housing, I have ordered the house elves to prepare an unit for you and Harry. It should be ready by now. The entrance to this unit is from a different corridor that leads to Severus' quarters. However," the Headmaster's eyes twinkled again as he looked from Severus to Hermione, "the two units share a common wall in the respected living-rooms. I have requested a door to be put in, so that it would provide you with the convenience of visiting each other without going through the corridors."

"Thank you, professor. I am sure Harry would appreciate that." Hermione regarded the Headmaster politely.

"I'm glad I can help." Dumbledore replied before turning his attention to Severus, "I shall leave the rest concerning Miss Granger's responsibilities to her capable supervisor."

Severus gave a curt nod and bid the Headmaster farewell.

"By the way, Severus," Dumbledore stopped him as Hermione went over to collect Harry, "I just got word from the auror's office regarding the identity of the fourth death eater that you stunned last night. No wonder they couldn't identify him sooner, they had thought he was dead! It turns out he is Barty Crouch Jr."

"Wasn't he buried in Azkaban after his death? Rita Skeeter made a pretty Knut writing that piece of rubbish." Severus frowned.

"Apparently the person they buried was his mother." Dumbledore stroked his beard thoughtfully, "He was smuggled out of Azkaban by his father, and was put under the care of a house-elf named Winky. Our conversation about Harry moving into Hogsmeade was overheard by Hogwarts' house elves and one of them unintentionally mentioned the information at an elves' gathering, where Winky picked up the news. When Winky mentioned the news to Barty she had no idea what the young man was trying to do all these years. That was when Barty Crouch Jr. decided to come after Harry with a few of his friends."

Severus considered the information quietly as he sensed Hermione and Harry came up to his side. He looked over at the witch and was shocked to see all the color had drained from her face. He arched an eyebrow and looked at her searchingly.

She only shook her head quickly at him as she inclined slightly towards Dumbledore. "Good afternoon Professor."

As Severus followed the witch and the boy out of the Headmaster's office, he wondered what was on Hermione's mind.

* * *

Severus didn't want to waste any time and decided to help Hermione move to the castle that very same day. Madam Pomfrey was more than excited when Severus told her that that assistant that the Headmaster had just hired for him happened to be the guardian for Harry Potter. It had been a long time since the school nurse last saw a small child this age. She immediately agreed to watch Harry when Severus would help Hermione with her move.

There were still a couple of aurors in the house when Hermione and Severus emerged from the green flames. The aurors were relieved to know that Hermione would soon pack up her belongings and move to the castle. Neither one of them was overly excited about the idea of serving as security guards. Together with Severus, they lent their wands and helped Hermione with the packing. Within an hour of time, all of her things were packed neatly in trunks, and transported through the green flames into her new home at Hogwarts.

Severus soon found himself helping Hermione unpack in her new kitchen.

For a man who was so used to solitude and silence, Severus found it strange that he was feeling so uncomfortable around a quiet Hermione this afternoon. It was obvious that there was something on the witch's mind, but she wasn't saying anything.

Finally he brought up the courage and asked the dreadful question, "If you are having second thoughts..." He cleared his throat, "about the whole arrangement of working here..."

"Huh?" Hermione looked up at him in surprise. It took her a couple seconds before she grasped the meaning of his question, and she quickly shook her head, "Why do you say that?"

"You are obviously preoccupied by something." He looked at her with his deep dark eyes, "I thought you might have changed your mind about working here for some reason. If that's the case..."

"No, not at all Severus." She frowned, "It's totally something else."

He let out a relieved sigh and looked at her curiously, "Care to explain?"

Hermione put down the books that she was organizing. Walking into the kitchen she sat down by the table next to Severus. After drawing a few deep long breaths she said, "When I heard Dumbledore mentioning the name of Barty Crouch, Jr. earlier this afternoon, I realized that there was a lot more information I learned from the past... er... the future. I realized that there are probably many ways we can prevent Voldemort from returning. And I was going through in my mind all of the things I learned when I was at Hogwarts. When you have time I want to talk to you about all of it, and I want to hear your opinion. And maybe we can make some notes and come up with a plan."

"Why didn't you bring it up when we were with Dumbledore?" Severus arched an eyebrow.

"Because I don't trust him." She answered matter-of-factly.

"And you trust _me_?" Severus was bemused.

"Yes, of course." The answer was so obvious that she didn't even need to think.

* * *

**_Alright my friends, this is kind of a rambling chapter. A lot of seeds have been planted. =) Hope you like it. Love to hear from you._**


	10. The Plans, the Ghost, and the Snake

**_morriganandjess, worrywart, forTheLoveOfHades, Hannie597, Nutter4Potter, notwritten, LadyDunla, phoenixqueen15, viola1701e, duj, SaikaHan, yorkadorable, Kayleigh-FanfictionAddict-21, MandyJ, JeniDRalph, bookivore, Lily of the Shadow, alannalove1990, and my anonymous guest, thank you all for your reviews! _**

**_The story continues in the magical castle..._**

**_All characters belong to the brilliant J. K. Rowling._**

* * *

**Chapter Ten - the Plans, the Ghost, and the Snake**

Severus cast a curious side way glance towards Harry as he turned the page. The little boy had buried half of his face in Severus' arms, obviously tired; but he rubbed his eyes a few times, trying hard to shake off the sleepiness. Severus turned his attention back to the book. He arched an eyebrow at the words before continued to read,

_"'I love you all the way down the lane as far as the river.' cried Little Nutbrown Hare._

_"'I love you across the river and over the hills.' said Big Nutbrown Hare._

_"That's very far, thought Little Nutbrown Hare. He was almost too sleepy to think anymore. Then he looked beyond the thornbushes, out into the big dark night. Nothing could be farther than the sky. 'I love you right up to the moon,' he said, and closed his eyes._

"_'Oh, that's far,' said Big Nutbrown Hare. 'That is very, very far.'_

"_Big Nutbrown Hare settled Little Nutbrown Hare into his bed of leaves. He leaned over and kissed him good night. Then he lay down close by and whispered with a smile, 'I love you right up to the moon - and back.'"_

"... alright," Severus gave the boy a little nudge, "end of story Harry."

Harry gave a satisfied yawn and pushed himself up. Hopping off of the wizard's lap, the boy smiled at the witch who was standing by the door for the past few minutes, waiting patiently for them to finish the story. Before he walked towards Hermione, Harry turned around and jumped back into Severus' lap, this time attacking him with a hug, "I love you Uncle Sev."

Hermione watched in amusement as Severus' eyes widened in surprise. But he quickly recovered and gave the boy a gentle pat on the back, "No more hopping up and down. It's time for bed."

The little boy smiled happily and followed Hermione through the door leading to their side of the unit; and as he was told, Harry went straight to bed.

When Hermione returned to the living-room, she found Severus still flipping through the book that he just read for Harry.

"That's one of my favorites when I was little." She sat down next to him, "It was one of the few books I wouldn't give away even when I was older."

"I can't believe children can be so easily amused." Severus drawled, "When was the last time you saw a hare so chatty before it put its offspring to bed? Mind you, its fur should be in the shade of nutbrown and it should possess extraordinarily large ears."

"Goodness gracious, Severus," Hermione laughed, "it's a children's story, a metaphor. It's a way to describe the love between father and son. You, for instance, are just like the Big Nutbrown Hare to Harry."

"Oh please... don't humor me." Severus sneered, "There is obviously a competition between those two rabbits. The big one always had to top the little one every step of the way. Your darling little nutbrown hare was simply too daft to see the dysfunctional behavior in his father."

Hermione couldn't help rolling in the sofa laughing. "Alright fine," She said between her giggles, "If you are such an expert in judging literature, why don't you pick out some reading materials suitable for Harry?"

Severus stared at Hermione coolly, but his sneer slowly turned into a small smile, "Don't make it sound like such a challenge Miss Granger. I am certainly capable of acquiring some appropriate books for a young wizard."

Hermione gave Severus a friendly shove and got up from the sofa, "I'm done with my study tonight. Do you want me to help you grade papers or do you want to come look at what we have down for our notes so far?"

"The papers can probably wait a few days. Didn't I just collect them yesterday?" Severus stroked his chin with his pale long fingers as he tried to recall his lesson plans. "Let's look at our notes. They are far more interesting than trying to make sense of the dunderheads' pathetic writing. It's pure suffering to be reminded just how little they have managed to learn all these years."

"You really shouldn't be so hard on them." Hermione said as she walked towards a small table in the middle of their joint living-room.

Since the day after Hermione and Harry moved into the unit on the other side of Severus' living-room wall, they enlarged the door that was connecting the two, so that Harry could easily roam from one to the other. It never occurred to either one of them that a door would be practically meaningless if it was always left open.

While Severus' desk was always occupied by student's work or his notes for the upcoming classes, Hermione's desk was constantly submerged under the books she was reading for the upcoming N.E.W.T.s. The small table in the middle of the connected living rooms however, belonged to both of them. They had spent the past couple of weeks going through Hermione's experience during her five years at Hogwarts with Harry. They put down important dates and events, trying to determine the logical connections among them.

After nights of hard work, they were able to narrow their focus down to several trigger items. Now it was finally the time to come up with a plan.

"We can probably cross out Pettigrew along with Barty Crouch Jr." Severus pointed at a couple of names that were circled with bright red ink. "Dumbledore caught the rat at the Weasleys the day after I told him about what I saw in your memories. Pettigrew is now being held at the Auror's office, and is definitely not going to be able to escape. Azkaban is the only place he will end up being."

Hermione was very pleased by the news, "That's fantastic. Why is it taking so long for them to clear Sirius' name? When will they let him go?"

Severus turned and looked at Hermione, his brows furrowed, with an unreadable expression in his black eyes, "Sooner or later I suppose." He finally said impassively, "There have been delays because of some bureaucracy at the Ministry."

She noticed his strange reaction and decided to change the subject. "Alright, that will leave us with Professor Quirrell, the philosopher's stone, Tom Riddle's Diary, the basilisk, and Harry's recurring nightmares."

Severus looked at the red circles on the parchment and let out a sigh, "I know your opinion about Dumbledore. But there are certain things we will have to go through him. I can keep an eye on Quirrell all you want, but I am in no position to stop him if he decides to go on a year of sabbatical. Same thing goes with the diary. We can't break into Malfoy's study and steal the thing under broad daylight. Do you even realize how impossible it is to steal anything from a Slytherin's residence? With Dumbledore's help, we can at least use the Ministry's inspection as an excuse and let them find the dark object. As far as the stone, if you don't ask the old man for help, I have the faintest idea about how to even get a hold of Nicolas Flamel."

Hermione listened to Severus' words and began to chew on her bottom lip. She had thought about it long and hard herself, and even though she still did not want to admit it, she had to agree with Severus' assessments. "But I don't want to tell him about Harry's nightmares." She frowned. There was a small voice in the back of her head telling her that she needed to keep this one piece of information from the old wizard.

"That sounds reasonable." Severus nodded in agreement. "Until we figure out what that means, there is no need to share the knowledge with anyone." After a few moments he asked, "What about the snake?"

Hermione inhaled sharply as she recalled looking into those evil eyes through a mirror in her hand, and the instant dread and coldness spread across her entire body. It was not a pleasant feeling she wanted to remember. "We need to kill it." She answered quietly.

"Exactly my thought." He answered, "But you don't think we should ask Dumbledore for assistance?"

"No." She answered plainly.

"Please enlighten me with your reasoning Hermione. Your stubbornness is beginning to sound ridiculous. It is going to be a dangerous task and it will have to take place within the castle walls. Why should we keep it from the Headmaster?" He narrowed his eyes at her.

"This basilisk was first created by Salazar Slytherin. If one headmaster found the monster worth keeping, why wouldn't another headmaster want to do the same? How do you know that Dumbledore wouldn't rationalize why the monster should be kept alive? After all, one could consider it a powerful weapon."

"I have to say the way you think almost sounded like a true Slytherin." Severus gave her a weak smile, "But there is no way Dumbledore can control the basilisk. He is not a parselmouth. One can only gain access and control of the snake through parseltongue. Dumbledore knows he cannot possibly do that, unless..." Severus noticed the strange expression in Hermione's face, "unless... he knows someone who can?"

Her silence answered his question. He was almost afraid to hear the answer, but he decided to press on, "is there something else you wish to share with me Hermione? Who do you know that is a parselmouth?"

"Harry." She looked at him straight in the eye and answered.

Severus let out a sigh as he walked away from the table. "So you are worried that Dumbledore would use Harry to do things for his own gain. You think the Headmaster would risk a child's life to control a deadly basilisk? Don't you think you are way too paranoid?"

"What makes you think he is not capable of using a child if he is so good at manipulating you?" Hermione frowned at her own words as she realized how cold it sounded.

"He did not manipulate me!" Severus snarled. Her words touched a nerve. "Do not act like you know everything!"

He turned away from her, trying to calm the anger boiling inside of him. Dumbledore was the only one who knew his past, yet forgave him for what he had done. Was following the old wizard's direction a fair trade for his own acceptance? Or was that truly... as she called it, him being manipulated? That was the question that Severus had been avoiding asking himself for years. Who gave her the right to make the judgment? What would she do if she knew about his past. Would she still trust him? Would she still care about what he thinks? Or would she walk away from him as if he was the filthiest scoundrel on earth?

He stared into space as he felt his heart racing with rage. And then he felt a gentle tug on his sleeve.

"I'm really sorry Severus," Hermione said softly, "I didn't mean to hurt your feelings."

He let out a deep sigh but he did not answer. After a very long moment of silence he finally said, "I have already read about the basilisk. I will take a trip to the chamber this weekend. Before I leave I will need you to bring Harry along so that he can help me open the entrance way leading to the secret chamber."

"No." She answered immediately, "You are not going down there alone."

"I don't need your help." He stated firmly.

"I don't care. You are not going without me." She left no room for negotiation.

* * *

Hermione stayed in Severus' office grading the rest of the papers from his fifth-year class while he went to meet with Dumbledore. He was going to discuss with the Headmaster about Quirrell, the diary, and the philosopher's stone. She declined his request that she accompany him to his meeting. "You know him well," She had told him, "You can just tell him what you think he should know."

Hermione put away the papers when she was done and went to a spare classroom close by, where Harry was left playing with a house-elf before she went to grade the papers. Her brows furrowed as she walked into an empty room. "Harry? Killi?"

A house-elf appeared with a loud pop, "Miss Granger is looking for Killi?" Her ears perked up curiously.

"Where is Harry?" Hermione's frown deepened.

"Harry Potter went to look for Miss Granger. Harry Potter was bored playing hide and seek with Killi."

"When did he leave?" Hermione was quickly becoming alarmed.

"Harry Potter left half an hour ago..." Killi answered.

Hermione ran out the door before the house-elf could finish her sentence.

It was getting late in the evening, and the corridors were turning dark. Hermione didn't hear the boy walking by the office, so she decided to follow the corridors leading towards the opposite direction. The path soon brought her to the deeper end of the dungeon. She became more and more concerned as she looked into every empty room along the way. But then suddenly, she heard quiet conversations around the corner. First she heard Harry. Then she heard the voice of a woman. Hermione quieted her footsteps and listened.

"Are you a princess?" Harry asked.

"I should have been," The woman answered, "if such a thing existed in our world."

"Why are you hiding here?" Harry asked again.

"You are a curious boy, aren't you?" came the woman's voice, "But you are wrong. I am not hiding. I have no reason to hide. I simply prefer to stay away from those greedy, deceitful, and cruel men."

"You mean the other ghosts?" The boy sounded intrigued.

"All of them..." The woman's voice was cold and hateful. "They are all the same. And some day you probably will be just like them."

Hermione frowned upon the woman's words. Who could be saying such harsh words to a little boy? Quickly she walked around the corner to face whoever that was talking to Harry, and was greeted by a silvery ghost, the Grey Lady.

"Why would you say that to a child?" Hermione narrowed her eyes at the Ravenclaw ghost.

"I am only telling the truth. Who are you?" The ghost asked coldly, "Are you a student here?"

"Not any more," Hermione answered, "But I think what you said was completely inappropriate."

"How does that matter." the Grey Lady laughed coldly, "He won't care what I say. Boys... men... they are all the same... Don't trust them, young lady. Take my words for it. They will only use you for their own good. I know... I've met them. Men... handsome, clever, charming. They would say all the sweet things you want to hear. But at the end, it would be their own soul that they wanted to protect. They could care less about you..."

Hermione grabbed Harry's hand without the Grey Lady could finish her words. "Let's go Harry. She isn't thinking straight." She murmured to the boy.

"Ha! That's what she says! She doesn't know! No one knows! The boy will grow up to be a charming young man, just like the other one I met..."

Hermione quickly walked down the corridor with Harry, trying to get away from the ghost as soon as possible. She rarely saw the Grey Lady when she was at Hogwarts as a student, and she would have never guessed how strange the ghost was. Silently she took note to herself, she should never let that mentally unstable ghost be anywhere near Harry.

When they returned to their private quarters Severus was already back from his meeting. He briefly informed Hermione with the Headmaster's plans with the diary and the stone. The Ministry would soon make s surprise visit at the Malfoys, looking for Tom Riddle's diary. As far as the stone, Dumbledore would pay his old friend a visit over the summer to discuss a better plan to destroy the magical creation.

"What about Quirrell?" Hermione asked.

"Dumbledore said since Quirrell is a faculty member, he is entitled for his sabbatical. But," Severus raised a finger and stopped Hermione before she could voice her objection, "Dumbledore will try all he can to delay his trip. I didn't tell him the exact reason for our request. But I won't be surprised if the old man suspected what we are up to." He let out a sigh, "So we will just have to finish our tasks before Quirrell goes on his trip."

"How do we know whether he comes back with Voldemort with him or not?" Hermione frowned.

"He is not wearing a turban now, is he?" Severus arched an eyebrow and gave her a small smile.

* * *

Severus and Hermione picked the early morning hours the following Saturday to perform their planned attack on the basilisk.

"Hagrid, you will keep Harry with you the whole time when we are away, right?" Hermione said to her most trusted half-giant friend from another time of her life.

"Sure Hermione." Hagrid answered, "I just don't know... why can't I tell Dumbledore where you guys are going? Dumbledore may be able to help... you know... to do whatever you two need to do under the plumbing here." He gestured at the pipes in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, while waving his large hands trying to drive away the annoying ghost floating around his head.

"No," Hermione smiled but stated firmly, "Not yet. We will inform the headmaster later... er... afterwards."

"If you say so..." Hagrid shrugged at the witch.

"Alright Harry," Severus turned to the boy, "I need you to say 'open' to that snake symbol on the pipe. Can you do that?"

"Open?" Harry said. Nothing happened.

"Oh no, not like this." Hermione smiled at Harry. With a wave of her hand a small garter snake flew out of her wand. The small green snake twirled and twisted on the floor, eying Harry curiously.

"Try to say the word to the little snake Harry." Hermione said to Harry. Then she turned and explained to Severus, "I was told he could only speak parseltongue when he could see a real snake."

Harry studied the little creature in front of him with great interest. A few moments later he said, "hisss...hisss".

Everyone was shocked when the water faucet suddenly rose from the floor, revealing a large hole in the middle of the bathroom.

"Don't worry about that Harry." Hermione gave the little boy a gentle hug. "Hagrid will take you to his hut. I'm sure there are many things you can help him do around the castle ground. It'll be fun. We will see you later, okay?"

Harry had well gotten used to having to leave his aunt and uncle every day when they had to go to work, and was totally fine with leaving with Hagrid. Last time he went to the half giant's house he had a great time playing with the man's "puppy". The boy couldn't wait to play with the giant dog again.

Watching Harry leaving with Hagrid, Severus and Hermione walked to the edge of the hole.

"Are you sure you want to come?" He asked.

"Of course." She replied.

He held out his hand and she took it. Together they took a small leap, and began their descending into the dark tunnel.

When they reached the bottom of their fall, they found themselves surrounded by complete darkness. With a wave of his wand, Severus conjured a protecting shield and locked the entrance into the open pipe. "Now we know none of those nosy dunderheads can get themselves down here. And the escape route has been officially closed."

He didn't let go of her hand as he felt the small bones crushing at the bottom of his feet. Following their wand light, they made quiet steps down the tunnel.

Hermione had never been to the chamber herself. All she knew about the place was from what she heard from Harry and Ron. She held on to Severus' hand a little tighter when the tunnel suddenly widened. He sensed her nervousness and pulled her closer to him. A few steps later, under their deem wand light, they saw a round stone door with a giant snake carved into it.

"Harry's not here." She suddenly realized she forgot about the need to use parseltongue for this door.

"You are not the only one who can be observant." Severus said coolly. And then Hermione heard him whispered in the dark, "hisss... hisss..."

Her eyes widened in amazement as Severus' imitation worked like a charm. The stone snake swirled before their eyes and the door disappeared, revealing a grand hall in front of them.

"Remember our plan." He gave her hand a squeeze.

It was eerily quiet in the hall. All they could hear was their own footsteps and the sound of water trickling down from a dark cave into a pool surrounding the hall. They stopped in front of the cave and waited. And soon they heard it: it was like a hissing sound from the back of the end of the cave. Hermione gasped in surprise as Severus suddenly pulled her in front of him.

"Look at me." He ordered quietly.

As they had planned, they locked their eyes on each other, leaving no chance for the snake's deadly gaze to reach their sight.

Within moments, from the corner of their eyes they saw a giant serpent slithering out of the cave, swimming through the pool of water, and finally reaching the stone path on which they stood.

Quickly Severus gave his wand a quick wave, and blocked all the openings leading to and from the hall, preventing the snake from escaping. At the very same time, Hermione raised her wand and murmured a charm. A golden rooster sprung out of the tip of her wand. The creature flew right over the giant serpent and let out a majestic crow.

It took Severus and Hermione a great deal of control to keep their eyes locked on each other as the basilisk coiled violently next to them. From the corner of their eyes they could see the snake's desperate fight against the rooster. Pointing his wand upward Severus decided to help. A second golden rooster shot out from the tip of his wand and joined the first one. The two roosters' cry soon echoed in the grand hall. That was more than the snake could take. Within seconds, the gigantic creature flopped to the ground next to them, and died.

Hermione blinked a few times as she tried to calm her quickening breath. And then she swallowed as she continued looking into Severus' deep dark eyes. The alarm in his gaze had disappeared. All that was left in his eyes was something so very different... so very caring... and so very gentle.

"I have to say," Severus whispered, "This is the first time I have ever had a pleasant experience accomplishing a task with a partner."

"Well, I guess you'd better start getting use to it then." Hermione whispered back.

She watched the corners of his eyes crinkled into a smile as he reached down to her. Closing her eyes, she reached up to welcome the gentle touch of his soft warm lips, with her very own.

* * *

**_As many of you must have noticed, I have borrowed the lines at the beginning of the story from "Guess How Much I Love You" written by Sam McBratney and illustrated by Anita Jeram. The book was first published in UK in 1994. Obviously it would be unrealistic to have Severus reading the story to little Harry in the early 80s. Blame it on my unreasonable imagination, but I could not resist borrowing it. It just seemed so very fitting for the scene..._**

**_As far as the kiss... I hope you would agree with me... that it's really about time!_**

**_Review please? =)_**


	11. The Beginning of Many Complications

**_phoenixqueen15, E-man-dy-S, Soundgarden9, LadyDunla, worrywart, NAO-chan33, Kayleigh-FanfictionAddict-21, MandyJ, Lily of the Shadow, doomsday2012, morriganandjess, viola1701e, Hannie597, Nutters4Potter, RenaRoo123, BigTimeGleekBTR, yorkadorable, notwritten, Kimsilly, Stephiebob22, and my anonymous guest, your reviews mean the world to me. Thank you! _**

**_Here are the answers for a couple of great questions that were brought to my attention through the reviews... 1) How old exactly are our hero and heroine at this point of the story? Well, because of her frequent usage of the time turner as described in the previous chapters, Hermione is over 18 at this point (thanks to Severus who did the math); as far as Severus, he is just a little over 23 (we are currently in the spring of 1983). And in case if you are curious, Harry is almost 4, and Dumbledore is... well... plenty old. 2) In Book Two, although Harry had learned from Hermione's research that a rooster's crow is fatal to a basilisk, he didn't have his wand handy when he had to face the snake in the Chamber (Tom Riddle took it from him). But even if he did, I'm not sure as a second-year student he could conjure a rooster out of his wand. That's the logic that I'm sticking with anyway. Hopefully it's acceptable for you. =)_**

**_All characters belong to the brilliant J. K. Rowling._**

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**Chapter Eleven - the Beginning of Many Complications**

"Are you sure I have to come with you?" Hermione hurried to catch up with Severus' long strides as they headed towards Dumbledore's office.

"He specifically requested your presence." Severus answered plainly.

Hermione frowned as they made their way down the corridor in silence.

It was late at night, a little bit past ten thirty to be exact. Harry had gone to bed quite some time ago. If it wasn't because Dumbledore's face appeared in Severus' fireplace, Hermione thought she would for sure be able to finish her review of the final segment of transfiguration by the end of the night.

She had been making decent progress with her study plans in the past few weeks, as she should be. The N.E.W.T.s were coming up in less than four weeks. The closer she was to the exams, the more anxious she had become. After all, her preparation for the N.E.W.T.s was nowhere near Hermione's typical standards for studying for important exams: she did not work on extra homework for extra credits, since she didn't go to classes like the rest of the seventh-year students did; and she did not spend her life in the library. Instead, she was getting her study done in between caring for Harry and working as the assistant for the Potions Master.

Severus never said anything specific that would indicate that he was concerned about her upcoming exams. However, it did seem to her that he was doing everything he could to help lessen her burdens. He took Harry with him out of the castle almost every weekend in the past few weeks, visiting various muggle parks, so that Hermione could have a few hours for herself to spend in the library with absolutely no distractions. He also took back several tasks he assigned her at the beginning of her employment. "It's almost the end of term. I need to see it myself just how poorly this batch has managed to do this year." He had told her before taking back the task of grading all the papers. But she suspected a different motive behind his actions: he might be going back to his heavy work load just so that she could get a little more time to prepare for her tests.

Severus could be such a mystery when it came to what exactly was on his mind. Hermione sometimes thought that he purposely set up a wall around himself just to confuse everyone around him, including, her.

One thing she desperately wished she could understand was why he never pressed forward with their relationship after their kiss in the secret chamber under the castle ground. In fact, he never mentioned the incident again after they returned from their underground adventure; although she did often catch him watching her when no one was around. Hermione understood the necessity for them to keep their distance from public eyes: as he told her before she moved into the castle, he would strictly be a colleague of hers in others eyes. Since he still intended to be Dumbledore's spy should the time come, he did not want to be associated with Harry in public. Hermione had long ago accepted the arrangement, and had always played along when there were others around. What she did not understand, was why he wouldn't say anything when they were alone in their joint quarters at night.

His body language, however, did not lie. She noticed how he welcomed her affectionate gesture in the evening after they put Harry to bed and had their few hours together. When she sat next to him, he would move closer to her. When she leaned against him, he would shift a little bit so that her head can rest comfortably on his shoulder. And sometimes, during their conversations, she would notice those dark eyes of his looking at her intensely, reminding her of the way he looked at her when they were in the Chamber of Secrets. But right before she thought he would reach for her, he always looked away too quickly, as if frightened by something only visible to himself.

It was clear to her that he had feelings for her; so what was stopping him from moving forward? Hermione wished she could have time to think about his puzzling behavior; but the stress from the upcoming N.E.W.T.s quickly took over the priority. She sighed when she thought about her schedule: she simply had no time for personal life until the exams were over anyway.

That was what she was doing earlier in this particular evening: preparing for the exams. Hermione was reading on the floor by the fire, with her back leaning against Severus' legs, and her head resting on his knees. He was reading a book that he recently purchased on a weekend trip to muggle London with Harry, with his fingers running absentmindedly through her soft brown curls.

Suddenly, the old wizard's voice broke the comfortable silence.

"Severus, may I have a word please?" There was a hint of urgency in the Headmaster's voice.

Hermione let out a sigh and unwillingly got up from Severus' side. She always excused herself when Dumbledore wanted to talk to Severus. In fact, she had been trying to avoid the Headmaster whenever she could.

She returned to her desk in her study on her side of the unit. Before she could get back to her reading however, Severus followed her into the room and informed her about the Headmaster's request for a meeting. They set up a charm by Harry's bed, so that they would be notified if the boy wakes up when they were gone, and left for the Headmaster's office.

It was very rare for the Headmaster to call a meeting at such a late hour. Severus and Hermione were both slightly alarmed. They knew Dumbledore was looking into certain theories after they destroyed Tom Riddle's diary a few weeks ago. He had told Severus that he had some vague ideas about a specific magic, but that was all he would say about it.

When Severus and Hermione entered the Headmaster's office, they found the room dimly lit by only a couple of lamps on the Headmaster's desk. Dumbledore was sitting behind the desk, cradling one of his arms, his eyes fixed upon some golden pieces on a silver tray in front of him. Fawkes the phoenix was perching on his shoulder, singing a tune quietly. The bird only stopped his beautify sonnet when Dumbledore looked up towards his two late night visitors.

"Thanks for coming Severus. Good evening, Miss Granger." The Headmaster greeted them cheerfully, yet they both noticed the weariness in his voice.

"You want to see us, Professor?" Hermione asked politely.

"Yes..." The old wizard let out a sigh, "I have some information that I would like to share with you. But..." his gaze fixed upon Severus for a moment before continuing, "I may need to bother Severus to come take a look at this first."

He raised a hand and gestured the younger wizard to his side. Hermione watched curiously as Severus walked around the Headmaster's desk to Dumbledore's side. She frowned as she heard a small gasp escaped him.

"Albus! What happened?" Severus' voice was no longer calm. He sounded concerned and worried.

"Alas, even an old man cannot resist certain temptation Severus." Dumbledore shook his head slightly, "It's a curse, is it not?"

Severus nodded in agreement. Quickly he pulled out his wand and began to murmur a quiet chant. But he stopped after a few minutes and shook his head.

"I know... probably should have come to you sooner." Dumbledore said calmly.

"It is a powerful one. I'm not sure if I can find the cure." Severus' frowned deepened.

"I am not surprised my boy." Dumbledore gave Severus a weak smile, "So how much time do I have?"

"Months... maybe a year." The voice of the Potions Master was strained.

"Well," the Headmaster nodded, "the clock is ticking then. We'd better hurry up and get to work, shall we?"

Dumbledore ignored Severus' concerned gaze and turned his attention to Hermione, "Miss Granger, thank you for coming to my office at this late hour. You both know that I have been working on a theory since we destroyed Tom Riddle's diary together." He pointed at an old leather-bound notebook slashed open in a corner of his desk, "I have some interesting discovery that I'd like to share with you."

The old wizard gently pushed the silver tray in front of him towards Hermione. That was when Hermione realized other than some broken pieces of golden fragments, there was also a handsome cup on the tray.

"I found some disturbing history about Tom Riddle, and came upon two objects. This," he pointed at the golden cup, "is the cup belonged to Helda Hufflepuff. You wouldn't believe where I found it." He looked up at Severus, with a twinkle in his eyes, "After Miss Granger suggested that we go look for Tom's diary at the Malfoy Manor, the Aurors' office suggested an expanded search of the properties belonged to other loyal followers of Voldemort. I found this cup at the vault belongs to the Lestranges at Gringotts. And this other one," he pointed at the broken gold fragments, "used to be a ring belonged to Tom Riddle's grandfather. My question for you, Miss Hermione, is that do you know anything about these objects from the time that you came from?"

Hermione took a step closer to the tray, and examined the objects closely, but could not recognize either one. "No Professor," she shook her head, "I'm really sorry, but I've never seen them anywhere else before."

"That's what I was afraid of." Dumbledore let out a sigh, "I can only hope that in the alternate world where you came from, I would eventually be able to solve the mystery. Oh well, I shouldn't get too concerned about that, should I? After all, this is the world I should be worry about." Smiling kindly at Hermione, the Headmaster continued, "I'm glad you came tonight, Miss Granger. Two minds are better than one, and three are meant to be better than two! With you and Severus helping me, we may have a good chance finding the way to stop Voldemort from returning."

Dumbledore picked up Hufflepuff's cup and admired the beautiful details carved around the rim and the gems mounted at its base, "After seeing how the diary 'died' when we ran Gryffindor's sword through it, I became curious about the magic used by Voldemort and its specific purpose. During the process of destroying the ring, I was fortunate enough, well _unfortunate_ in a way, to learn a little bit more about this magic. I suspect that Tom had somehow attached a piece of his soul to certain objects, such as the diary and the ring. Based on what I learned from certain memories that I gathered, I am guessing this cup was under the same curse. I guess there is only one way to find out if my theory is correct."

Carefully the Headmaster put the cup on a marble table in the middle of the room. He then walked past Severus and Hermione to another part of his office, and removed Gryffindor's sword from the wall.

"Here is the answer to my hypothesis." He smiled. And then with a great thrust, Dumbledore slashed the sword down through the cup. The cup immediately let out a schilling scream. Completely taken by surprise, Hermione took a stumble backwards, only to find Severus' strong arms caught her from behind.

Dumbledore didn't seem to notice the reaction of the wizard and the witch in the room. He simply observed the cup intensely. A moment later Dumbledore sighed, "Unfortunately, I think my theory is correct. Voldemort had been creating these objects in order to keep pieces of his souls alive. What we need to work on now, is to first discover how many of these objects are out there, secondly, what they are, and lastly, how to get them and destroy them."

Hermione and Severus left the Headmaster's office that evening with more questions on their mind than ever. The war suddenly seemed so close to them again. Searching for random objects with pieces of Voldemort's soul attached to them? It certainly sounded like an impossible mission to accomplish.

Later that night Hermione found herself tossing and turning in bed. When she finally gave up trying to fall asleep, she came to the kitchen for some water, and noticed the dim light coming under the door leading to Severus' study. Softly she knocked on his door, and heard him answered quietly, "yes."

Coming to his side, Hermione saw several books on the subjects of advanced potions and defense against the dark arts on his desk.

"I can't find anything to help him." He sighed.

She put a hand on his shoulder, trying offer the little comfort she wished she could bring him. A moment later he covered her hand with his own. "I know you don't trust him, Hermione. But I want to help him. I can't let him die, not... so soon." He said, but kept his eyes locked on her hand.

"Let me help you." She whispered.

"You will? You will help Dumbledore?" He looked up at her in disbelieve.

"I don't trust him, Severus, but I never hate him. Somehow I have the feeling that he means a lot to you. And because of that I want to help."

He squeezed her hand gently before letting it go. Giving her a weak smile he said, "I appreciate your offer. But finding a cure for such a powerful curse? I'm afraid it may not even exist."

"What you are saying sounds like no one has ever tried to look for a cure before." She commented on his statement, "We can be the first ones to find the antidote. Like Dumbledore said tonight, two minds work better than one. I want to help... if you let me."

He didn't say anything for a few moments. And then he reached over for her hand. Gently he pulled her into his lap, and held her tightly in his arms. "Thank you." He murmured. And together they sat in complete silence for a very long time.

* * *

Three more days... The exams would be here in three more days! Hermione completely lost track of time for the past few days. She had not had much sleep. She simple could not sleep! There was still too much she wanted to review: charms, arithmancy, and ancient runes. Transfiguration and potions would probably be fine, but she still wanted to review the materials one more time... So much to do, so little time... This was the fourth night that she had stayed past two in the morning, reading in her study.

Suddenly she felt a little hand pulling on her shirt. Looking down, she saw Harry's puffy face. "What's wrong Harry?" The boy usually had no problem sleeping through the night.

"My nose is stuffy Auntie Mione. I can't sleep." The little boy sniffled.

The answer to why the boy was up was simple when Hermione felt his forehead. He was running a fever from a cold that was spreading among the students in the castle.

"Oh no... You've got the cold." Picking up the boy with her, Hermione came to the kitchen and found the potion she was looking for. "Here Harry, this will help."

Listening to Harry's raspy cough and his stuffy nose, Hermione felt utterly inadequate. What should mothers do to make their sick children feel better? She was the boy's care taker, but no one had ever taught her what to do when he was sick! Should she get a book and read about it? And what about her study? And her work? She also needed to finish up the last bit of proofreading for the second-year's potions final exam. And the research she promised Severus she would do to help find a cure for Dumbledore... She suddenly felt all of her responsibilities threaten to suffocate her.

"Are you okay Auntie Mione?" Harry asked timidly when he noticed tears welling up in Hermione's eyes.

The little boy's words crumbled the last bit of strength Hermione possessed to maintain her controls. She soon found herself slouching by the kitchen table, bawling her eyes out.

She didn't hear Severus coming into the room as she was so absorbed in her own misery, and didn't realized he was standing next to her until she felt his hand gently rubbing her back. When she looked up, she found his concerned gaze upon her.

"Please don't tell me you are crying over Harry's cough." He arched an eyebrow at her, "It's really just a common cold. I saw you gave him the potions already. He's a tough little boy. He'll be fine in a couple of days."

More tears ran down her cheeks as she shook her head. She was tired, stressed out, and was completely losing her controls over this emotional breakdown.

"No..." she said between her sniffles, "I have so much to do... I haven't finished proofreading the exam for you. Any my study... I don't know Severus. I think I'm going to fail..."

Severus let out a small chuckle but quickly regained his serious composure when she stared at him with a frown. "Listen to me Hermione," he began, "You can't think properly because you are too tired. Don't even worry about proofreading the exams for my class. I've done it already. And if you think you are going to fail..." He blinked at her for a couple times, "Let me put it this way, if you can't pass the tests with an Outstanding on every single subject, ninety percent of the seventh-year class are guaranteed to receive a Troll!"

Severus' words managed to turn Hermione's frown into a small smile.

"Here," He left her no time to respond, "Harry will come with me." He picked up the little boy from Hermione's lap. "Did you say you can't sleep with the congestion?" He said to Harry, "You can sit with me. Perhaps you will fall asleep easier when you stay in a sitting position. It worked for me when I had congestions in the past. As far as you, young lady," he looked back at Hermione, "You will go to bed right this minute."

"Don't order me around like I'm a child." She pouted.

"You left me no choice," He answered coolly, "You are acting like one."

"I can't go to sleep. I still have a third of the last book for charms I need to finish reading tonight." Hermione pointed at a book she left on the kitchen counter.

"Suit yourself." He took a quick glance at the book, "It shouldn't take you that long to finish it. Go straight to bed afterwards then."

Without waiting for her answer he carried the little boy with him and went to his side of the living-room.

Hermione wiped away her tears and let out a groan. Was she really behaving like a child? That's so embarrassing! She wasn't sure what Severus was thinking about her behavior, but as she recalled his words and his tone, a small smile slowly crawled up the corner of her lips.

An hour later Hermione finally finished her reading. She stretched her arms as she looked towards their joint living-room. The lamps had been put out a while ago, with the only light radiating from the fireplace. Quietly she entered the room, and found the wizard and the boy sound asleep in the sofa by the fireside.

Severus had his legs up on an ottoman, and his head slouching backwards. Harry was sleeping in Severus arms, with his head resting on the wizard's chest. Apparently this was the solution the two had worked out, so that the boy could sleep in an upright position. But that also meant Severus would have to sit with him in the living-room for the rest of the night.

With a wave of her hand Hermione summoned a blanket to her hands. Quietly she walked into the room, climbed up to the sofa, and spread the blanket over Harry, Severus, and herself. Tucking her legs under the blanket, she slowly leaned against Severus, and rested her head on his shoulder. Severus shifted slightly in his sleep. Letting out a soft sigh he moved his arm and wrap it around her shoulders. She turned slightly and leaned against his chest, and soon fell into a comfortable slumber.

Severus woke up feeling something soft tickling his nose. Opening up his eyes, he was slightly surprised by the soft brown curls in front of him. He remembered falling asleep with the boy leaning against his chest, and vaguely remembered a blanket, and... her. He blinked a few times and tried to think about the current situation. A part of him thought he should pull his arm back before she would wake up soon; but another part of him did not want to.

He had noticed how hopelessly he had been falling for the witch. He caught himself constantly thinking about her, thinking about how she felt when she was in his arms, and how she tasted when he kissed her. Severus was always able to conceal his emotions, but this time, he knew his attempt to lock away his feelings was failing quickly. He simply could not resist her any longer; and that frightened him.

He was so afraid to think how he should cope the day when she would discover his past, all of it, and would learn about how he eavesdropped on Dumbledore, and how he gave the prophecy to the Dark Lord.

Severus felt his heart clenched when he thought of what she would do on the dreadful day in the future, when he would confess to her his past; and what the little boy in his arms would say when he learned the truth about his parents' death. He couldn't help but holding on to the boy and the witch tighter in his arms, hoping to remember what it felt like when they held no knowledge of his past.

Feeling Severus' arms tighten around her, Hermione took in a deep breath of the clean linen scent of his shirt. She smiled in contentment when she felt him placing a gentle kiss in her hair. She kept her eyes closed, savoring the feeling of being in his arms, and didn't look up to see the sadness in his eyes.

* * *

**_Sorry if the tempo of this chapter is a little slow for you. I have to cover some necessary formation before we can gear up for the drama... coming up next. I promise. =)_**

**_I always look forward to your reviews!_**


	12. The Truth

**_LadyDunla, NAO-chan33, phoenixqueen15, dontleavetonight, viola1701e, Kayleigh-FanfictionAddict-21, EverydayMagic17, morriganandjess, xoRetributionox, JeniDRalph, Nutter4Potter, notwritten, alannalove1990, BigTimeGleekBTR, E-man-dy-S, MandyJ, and my anonymous guests, thank you all for your reviews! _**

**_Oh how I love your questions... and your always one step ahead of me... Some of the answers for your questions are in this Chapter. About some of your other questions... well, you will just have to wait a little bit longer. =)_**

**_All characters belong to the brilliant J. K. Rowling._**

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**Chapter Twelve - The Truth**

"How is he doing?" Hermione asked when the dark-hair wizard returned from the Headmaster's office late one night.

"I was able to contain the curse from spreading beyond his hand..." Severus took off his black cloak and sighed, "for now. But I don't know how much longer the charm can hold."

"I went to see Madam Prince this afternoon, and brought back most of the books that you had down on the list." She followed him into his study, "Are you sure potion is our best option?"

Severus nodded at the pile of research materials spreading out on his desk. "The curse embedded in the ring acted too fast, and has already penetrated too deep." He explained, "Charms or spells cannot produce the kind of lasting effects like potions."

"Hmm... Potions..." Hermione marveled at the list of research materials written in his handsome handwriting and said dreamily, "the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses. It can even put a stopper on death."

"What is that all about?" Severus arched an eyebrow at Hermione for her strange words, only to find her smirking at him.

"My potions master taught me that on the first day of class. At the time I thought he was being overly dramatic. But now that I thought about it, I think he was speaking from experience."

Severus glared at the witch in front of him. Did she just flirt with him? He bit the inside of his cheeks, holding back the urge to pull her into his arms. "I am glad you approve your professor's teaching abilities." He said plainly, hoping his coolness could make a good cover for the storm brewing inside. "But the potions would only work if we can find the key ingredient that can do the trick." He wondered if putting his brain to work could help strengthening his self-control.

"Oh, I've started some research." The brown-hair witch suddenly returned to her _I-only-mean-business _attitude and pulled out a small stack of notes from under the pile of parchments and books. "I've been thinking, for such a powerful curse, the key ingredient will have to be equally powerful. But none of the items I've looked through in the books so far seem to possess that kind of quality."

"If such a thing does exist," Severus began to pace in the room, with his long fingers stroking his chin, "it may not be listed under normal potion ingredients. It may be difficult to come by. It may even be poisonous by itself, and dangerous to handle..." He stopped in mid-sentence as he noticed the sparkles in her eyes.

"Severus! Why haven't we thought of it?" There was the unmistakable excitement in her voice. "The basilisk's venom! Think about it! Even Gryffindor's sword alone could not destroy the cursed diary, but it worked after we put the snake's venom on the blade! Can you imagine the research we would have had to dig through if Harry didn't tell me what he had to do to 'kill' the diary? So if the venom can help destroying all of those objects, it must possess the quality to offset the curse. Do you think if we can make use of that?"

Severus' lips were pressed into a thin line as he considered her words. It would be extremely risky to use an ingredient so violently poisonous; yet he had to admit it was a brilliant idea. If they could find a way to harness the power of the venom, by theory, it would be the perfect antidote to cure the damage caused by the curse. He narrowed his eyes at the witch in front of him. She was so clever, so witty, so beautiful... and her passion for the research was so... sexy. Severus could feel his heart rate accelerating, and his breathing quickening. "Handling the venom is very dangerous." He heard himself murmuring, "Let alone turning it into potion. It will require a lot of experiments."

By the time he finished his words he found himself standing right in front of her, looking down into her darkening eyes. "I can help you with the experiments," she whispered, "if you let me."

That seemed to be all the encouragement he needed. Swiftly he pulled her in to his arms by her small waist, and found her sweet soft lips waiting for him. He knew he would probably regret it later, and would blame himself for not keeping up his feeble attempt to maintain the distance. But at this moment, every bit of his rational thinking had been thrown out the window. All he wanted was to hold her, to kiss her, and to taste her.

When they finally broke apart from their kiss, he couldn't take his eyes off of her. Trying to calm his breathing he cleared his throat, "Uh, Hermione, have you found a place to stay for the summer holiday yet?"

She looked up from her long and delicate eyelashes, "No," she answered, "I haven't had a chance to look. I've been visiting the library every day since I finished the N.E.W.T.s."

"Well," he said in his velvet voice, "The two extra bedrooms at my place are still available. Perhaps... if you like... you could consider... taking them?"

She smiled shyly at his suggestion. "Will that make it easier for us to work on these research experiments?" She asked.

"Indeed." He smiled at her, and reached down for her lips once more.

* * *

"Guess what we did Auntie Mione!"

Hermione could hear the little boy screaming cheerfully from the front door all the way into the study, where she was going through another volume of the Poison vs. Potions. "What did you do Harry?" She put aside the book and got up from behind the desk, just in time to catch the excited little boy jumping into her arms.

"I know how to swim now. Uncle Sev taught me how to swim!"

"Really?" Hermione smiled knowingly at the wizard who just followed the boy into the room.

"You don't _know_ it yet, Harry. Remember, modesty is a virtue." Severus drawled, "At this point, you may say that you can doggy paddle, and probably won't drown. But that's far from _knowing_ how to swim."

Hermione knew teaching Harry how to swim had been on Severus' mind for a long time, ever since he learned the fate of the boy in a alternate timeline. "Uncle Sev is right Harry." Hermione addressed the boy, "You'll need to practice a lot before you can say you know how to swim."

"Can we go to the lake again soon?" Harry had no objection to the idea of practicing.

"Of course," Severus answered, "It's the perfect thing to do in the summer."

"Yeah!" The boy cheered as he wiggled out of Hermione's arms. He then ran straight out to the court yard, where his toy trucks were parked neatly at the miniature village that Uncle Sev had built him shortly after they moved back from Hogwarts.

"You've been waiting to teach him how to swim, haven't you?" Hermione turned and looked at Severus.

"It's only about time." He answered casually. "It's also a good way to burn out some of his seemingly unlimited energy."

"That's right," she walked next to him and gave him a quick kiss on the lips, "So we can have more time for our research at night."

"Do not distract me Miss Granger," Severus sneered, "We do have important work on our hands." But his lips quickly curled up into a smile when her hand reached up and brushed his hair aside from his eyes.

"Want to help me with dinner Professor Snape?" Hermione asked innocently, "I cannot focus on any research on an empty stomach."

"As you wish." Severus said as he followed her into the kitchen. He would be happy to do anything, as long as it was by her side.

They always spent the hour after dinner reading to Harry together in the living-room. In this specific evening, Severus brought out a slightly worn book from his study. "As a response to your challenge Miss Granger, I hereby present to you a suitable book for a young wizard."

Taking the book from the wizard's hand Hermione read the title: The Tales of Beedle the Bard.

"I've never heard of this book!" She exclaimed. "And this is supposed to be a children's story?"

"Finally," Severus declared triumphantly, and took the book back before sitting down next to Harry and Hermione, "A book that she has never heard of! I deserve the Order of Merlin First Class for this discovery."

"Uncle Sev, modesty is a virtue." For some reason Harry thought it was an appropriate time to recite the big words he learned earlier that afternoon.

Hermione burst into laughter when she heard Harry's words. She laughed even harder when she saw Severus looking at the boy intensely with a deep frown, and Harry looking back at the wizard with utter confusion.

Just as she was going to say "serve you right", they heard a knock on the door. Wiping away tears of laughter, Hermione gave Severus a nudge, "Probably some unwanted solicitor. Go. You have a talent driving those sorts away."

Letting out a grunt Severus put the book down and left for the door, leaving Hermione working hard on containing her giggles. A few minutes later, when she realized he still didn't come back, Hermione decided to investigate. Harry quickly climbed off the sofa and followed her out to the entrance way.

The summer sun was giving out its last bit of orange glow before reluctantly sinking towards its western retreat. The remnant of the late afternoon daylight left the front entrance way dimly lit. Standing in the doorway, Severus was face to face with another wizard. Hermione couldn't see the visitor's face from where she was, other than noticing he was just about as tall and lean as Severus was.

The two wizards were standing tensely facing each other, having some fierce exchange in low voices. Because of the dim light, Hermione didn't see the wands drawn in their hands, and the murderous gaze in their eyes.

The two men immediately stopped their conversation when they sensed Hermione and Harry's presence, and both turned their attention to Hermione. As they turned, Hermione was able to take a good look at the wizard at the door. He was about the same age as Severus, and had long lustrous black hair down to his shoulders. When Hermione met his striking grey eyes, she suddenly recognized the handsome face that was so much younger than she could remember.

"Sirius!" She hurried to the door, exhilarated to see the man who had died saving their lives in a much different time and a different place. She would only later regret the excitement in her voice.

"You must be Miss Granger!" The wizard at the door smiled warmly at Hermione, "The witch to whom I owe my life! Or maybe I should call you Hermione. What a pleasure to finally meet you love! I feel like I've known you forever. I heard all about you from Dumbledore. But he forgot to mention just how beautiful you are."

Hermione's smile froze as her cheeks began to burn. Although she had heard Remus commenting in the past that Sirius was always a charmer with his lady friends, she had never imagined he would talk to her in such a flirtatious way. After all, in the other time when she last knew him, Sirius was... her best friend's god father.

"And you, must be Harry!" Sirius' attention quickly turned to the little boy hiding part of his face behind Hermione. "Hello there, Mr. Potter. You look just like your father! James would have been so proud of you!" The wizard smiled broadly at the boy. "Do you know who I am? I am Sirius. And I am your god father. I am here to take you home tonight."

"How dare you!" Severus took a step forward and blocked the view of Harry from Sirius, "How dare you barging into my house making such ridiculous claim!" He sneered.

"Your house?" Sirius regarded Severus dismissively and said, "Why would James and Lily's son want to have anything to do with you at your house? I am here to bring him back to where he belongs."

"You have no right to do such a thing." Severus said between clenched teeth, "Being his god father does not make you his legal guardian. Hermione is the only one who can decide where they want to stay."

"Excellent point Snivellus." Sirius answered darkly, "That's exactly why I came here as soon as the Ministry cleared my name. I must rescue Miss Granger from a Slytherin's cunning lies. What did you say to her to make her agree to stay with you anyway? Do you honestly think anyone would believe that a brilliant and beautiful woman like her, a brave and honorable Gryffindor, would want to have anything to do with _you_?" Sirius smiled coldly at Severus, "And tell me, why wouldn't she want to come home with me, where I will respect her, protect her, be there for her whenever she needs me? I owe her my life, and will repay her with all I have. What do you have Snivellus? Your lies? Your dirty tricks? Nothing! You have absolutely nothing to offer!"

"That's enough!" Hermione cried. She couldn't believe her ears. She could not stand the humiliation. Why didn't Severus say anything?

Her scream effectively silenced Sirius. As both wizards turned to look at her, she only looked back at Severus. The rage burning in his deep dark eyes seemed to have vanished, and had been quickly replaced by pain, sorrow, and despair. Holding his wand tightly in his hand, Severus abruptly turned away, and disappeared into his study.

He had not expected it to end like this. When he noticed how excited Hermione was when she saw Sirius Black, all he could think of was how Lily ran into James Potter's arms after the arrogant bastard won the last Quidditch game for the House Cup. How could he not see this coming? Sirius Black was Harry's god father, and a good friend of Hermione's from her past. He was now a free and wealthy man. Sirius Black had, like he had said, everything to offer the boy and the witch. And what about himself? Severus thought bitterly. He couldn't even ask Hermione out on a proper date. He had to keep his promise to Dumbledore; he had to continue maintaining his distance from her and Harry in public; and he would someday return to the Dark Lord as a spy and a Death Eater. How could he expect her to understand? How could he ever expect her and Harry to forgive him for what he did to the boy's parents?

Slamming his fist hard on the desk Severus waved his wand with his other hand, and quickly shut the door leading to the living room. He needed the silence and the solitude, he needed to hide, from Black's humiliation, from Hermione's questions, and Harry's ultimate rejection. He covered his ears with his hands, so that he would not hear them talking. And because of that, he didn't hear Hermione's stern words for Sirius.

"I didn't say a word about you to Dumbledore. You don't owe your life to me. You owe your life to Severus!" Hermione was so angry her voice was shaking as she spoke. Ignoring Sirius' surprised expression she continued, "If you cannot show your respect for Severus, you will not have any access to Harry. Harry does not need to have a god father around if his god father cannot acknowledge that Severus Snape is an honorable man." Hermione took a deep breath and went on, "As far as my living situation, it is my wish to come and stay with Severus. It was my choice and it will remain so. I will not tolerate any other speculations. Do you understand!"

Sirius' eyes widened in shock as he watched the young witch pointing her finger at his face as she spoke the last few words.

"It's almost Harry's bed time and I'd appreciate you calling earlier next time. And if I were you," She narrowed her eyes at Sirius and said, "I would remember to ask for forgiveness before my next visit."

The wizard looked at the witch in amazement and swallowed hard. He took a step back and nodded curtly. "Very well Hermione. I will... consider that. My apologies for tonight's intrusion. Good evening." And then with a soft pop, Sirius disappeared into the darkening night.

Letting out a shaky sigh Hermione closed the door. She then leaned against it and closed her eyes. She recalled in her fifth year Harry had told her how Sirius and Snape didn't get along; but she had no idea it was so bad between the two. Was that always the way how Sirius talked to Severus? Severus... Hermione quickly opened her eyes and headed towards the study, with Harry following closely behind.

Severus had his head buried in his hands. He didn't acknowledge Hermione as she walked next to him.

"Hey," she said quietly, "Are you alright?"

"What do you care?" He growled, yet he did not look up at her, "Leave. Go with him. I don't care. I knew it would be this way."

"What are you talking about?" Hermione asked in surprise.

"I heard how you called his name. I saw the way you looked at him. You've probably been waiting for him to get out of Azkaban since the first day you arrived here. Are you happy now?" His voice shook, but he went on anyway, "Your Prince Charming is here to rescue you. I won't stand in your way. Leave! Take Harry with you. Take everything. Just... Go!"

Hermione could feel her heart broken into pieces. She knew he was hurt; but his words hurt her even more. "How could you..." She couldn't finish her words, as rebellious tears rushed down her cheeks.

The world around them froze in silence for a long while, until the little boy finally held on to Hermione's hand, "Auntie Mione," he asked timidly, "Is Uncle Sev in trouble?"

Hermione quickly looked up towards the ceiling, trying to prevent more tears from falling again. Softly she said to the little boy, "You know... Harry, for such a brilliant man, your Uncle Sev can be really thick sometimes. Come upstairs. You should go to bed now."

* * *

Severus listened quietly as Harry and Hermione's footsteps disappeared in their bedrooms upstairs. When the silence returned to the room, he could hardly breathe. He wanted to cry. It hurt... too much. The pain felt far worse than the cuciatus curse. It was everywhere... in his heart... in his head... behind his eyes... pounding in his temples... Suddenly he realized, he had the migraines.

Severus hadn't had migraines for years. Last time he had an episode of this was when he first realized he had made a terrible decision by becoming a Death Eater. He remember how the realization hit him with a wave of unbearable headache, and how he rushed to his mother's side, confessing his regret, and pleading for help.

His mother was sick and weak when he went to see her. She looked at him with the greatest sadness in her eyes. "I'm so sorry my boy," she said to him, "I don't think there is anything we can do to reverse your actions. Oh yes, you will suffer, you will suffer when you have to pay for your mistake someday. But I want you to remember, that although mother cannot give you much, I do love you. You are loved Severus. Do remember that." She then gave him a vial of potion that she always kept for her own migraines. He soon felt better afterwards, but was never sure if it was because of the potions or his mother's words.

He stumbled into the storage and found the potions, and staggered upstairs into his room. The magic of the potion was not quick enough to stop the migraines from taking over. Sinking into his bed Severus shut his eyes tight, hoping the room would soon stop spinning around him.

He didn't know how long he had laid in the dark. The light of the lamp suddenly sharpened the pain behind his eyes. Letting out a groan he quickly covered his eyes with his arm. Then the light was out, and he heard her quietly walking up next to him.

"Is it migraines?" He heard her ask softly, "I saw the potions on the kitchen table."

He wished he had the energy to growl; but all he could do was whimpering in a raspy voice, "I'm fine. Leave."

He didn't hear her answer. In fact he didn't hear anything at all. Did his headache dull his sense of hearing? Did she walk away? He wasn't sure. But then he felt one side of his bed sink a little, as she slowly climbed next to him. Slowly she moved his arm away from his face. Before he could protest, she began pressing her delicate fingers along his brows, the bridge of his nose, and his temples. The massage brought out the power of the potions. Severus soon drifted to sleep, while the pain simply evaporated in between her gentle touches.

* * *

He jerked awake when the first ray of sunlight shone through his bedroom window. And then he felt her stir next to him.

"Are you better?" She whispered as she frowned at the sunlight in her eyes.

Without answering, he quickly got up away from her and sat on the edge of his bed.

He felt her moving to his side. "I don't want to fight with you." She said softly. "But I can't believe you would think someone, anyone, could just come knock on the door and convince me to pack up and leave."

He was quiet for a long moment, and he finally said, "I am only being rational. Sirius Black is perfect for you. He is perfect for Harry."

"Since when have you been making decisions for me Severus?" She sounded mildly offended, "Have you not learned anything about me when I destroyed the time turner in Dumbledore's office? Do you have no faith in me? And Harry?" She let out a sigh before continuing, "Harry loves you, Severus. _I_ love you."

He inhaled sharply and closed his eyes. This was it. He must do the right thing and tell the truth. "You are only saying that because you don't know me."

"What don't I know about you?" She asked, "Tell me."

He hesitated before beginning the confession that he had planned in his head long ago, "Let me tell you everything Hermione: you don't know me. You don't know that I was the Dark Lord's spy. I was the one who overheard the prophecy, and gave it to Voldemort. I was the one who led the Dark Lord to the Potters. I didn't know what I was doing and regretted it terribly afterwards. That is true. But by the time I went to Dumbledore it was too late. I was responsible for Voldemort murdering the Potters. I am the reason why Harry is an orphan." As he finished, he didn't look up. He knew Hermione was shocked by his revelation, and he was prepared for what would come next.

After not hearing a word from her he spoke again, "It is a shock, isn't it? You should be disgusted by me. You should hate me. Harry will too when you tell him the truth someday. I know... I expected that to happen. I am... sorry... for not telling you sooner. I've been selfish. I only wish to be with you a little longer. That's all. That's everything. Now you know me."

She still didn't say a thing, but he heard her sniffling quietly. Of course. She was crying because she was too upset to find the words to express her anger. She was crying because she regretted her declaration of her love. Or perhaps, she was crying because she couldn't bring herself to hex him like she wanted to. He sat stiffly on the edge of his bed, waiting for her to storm out the room, gather the boy, and disappear from his life.

Then, finally, she said, "Do you not trust me?"

He frowned in confusion and looked up at her. Did she not understand? He just confessed to her his guilty deeds. He had never confessed to anyone about this, not even his own mother. Dumbledore was the only one who knew about how the prophecy was delivered to the Dark Lord, and that was completely out of necessity.

She brushed away a stray tear and looked at him. There was a complicated mixture of emotions in her beautiful brown eyes; but he couldn't see the hatred and disgust that he was expecting.

"You said you were going to tell me everything, but you didn't." She said softly.

His frown deepened as he considered her words. "That _was_ everything." He said, "I just told you everything."

"Then why didn't you say anything about Lily?" She looked away from his deep dark eyes, and took his slender fingers into her hands. "How she broke your heart, how she chose the bully who was mean to you, and how you saved her child from abuse, and brought him into your home and raised him as your own? Why didn't you say anything about that?"

* * *

**_Since I started this story, I probably have the most amount of fun planning for this chapter. I hope you approve the drama._**

**_I must thank viola1702e for helping me find the secret ingredient for the powerful potion. Although I cannot guarantee it is going to work, I do want to share with you that it is (no joke), an ancient Chinese saying: to attack poison with poison (_****_以毒攻毒_****_). So there! Let's hope the ancient Chinese secret could make a difference in this magical world. =)_**

**_I look forward to reading your reviews._**


	13. Several Discoveries

**_phoenixqueen15, morriganandjess, viola1701e, Stephiebob22, MandyJ, BigTimeGleekBTR, xoRetributionox, solosinger1, LadyDunla, Kayleigh-FanfictionAddict-21, alannalove1990, notwritten, Harmony Goldstar, E-man-dy-S, hervissa, and xSealiee, thank you all for your reviews! And it really means a lot to me to see so many of you following the story and adding it to your favorites. I only wish I had more time to get more chapters down sooner for you..._**

**_All characters belong to the brilliant J. K. Rowling._**

* * *

**Chapter Thirteen - Several Discoveries**

"You said you were going to tell me everything, but you didn't." Hermione said softly.

Severus' frown deepened as he considered her words. "That _was_ everything." He said, "I just told you everything."

"Then why didn't you say anything about Lily?" She looked away from his deep dark eyes, and took his slender fingers into her hands. "How she broke your heart, how she chose the bully who was mean to you, and how you saved her child from abuse, and brought him into your home and raised him as your own? Why didn't you say anything about that?"

Severus' eyes widened and he stared at her in disbelief. It couldn't have been Dumbledore. Severus knew for a fact, that since her first day arriving to his world he had always been there witnessing the few limited meetings she had with the Headmaster. It also couldn't have been from her "past", as he paid specific attention to her conversations with the old wizard during the one and only time when he invaded her memory. "How... did you know?" He finally asked.

She seemed slightly embarrassed by his question. She kept her gaze down but couldn't help her cheeks from turning rosy pink. "I... was bored last summer, when I was in your guest bedroom. I was looking for something to read, and I found a keepsake box under the dresser. I think it belonged to your mother. When I opened it I saw a half-burned Christmas card Lily had sent you. I guess your mother kept it after you tried to throw it into the fireplace."

The despair in his eyes was slowly replaced by curiosity. "It's only a note Hermione, an old card from years ago. How did you guess the rest..."

She gave him an uneasy smile and continued, "Well, the note was only part of my discovery. After I opened that box, I also started having recurring dreams. Every time when I had those very realistic dreams, it felt as if I was there, watching you through your mother's eyes, and feeling your pain through someone who cared deeply about you. Those dreams didn't go away until I became aware of the message your mother was trying to convey."

"She..." Severus stared into space and let out a sigh, "I didn't know my mother would do such a thing."

"Well, she did." Hermione nodded, but still kept her eyes locked on his hand in hers, "I thought it was very strange at first, so I looked it up in the library. It's a charm isn't it? She was hoping to share her memories and her feelings with someone who would find the card and all the other things she kept. Your mother probably set it up for you, hoping to let you know how much she loved you." She paused for a moment and went on, "I'm sorry for being so nosy."

He shook his head and smiled weakly, "Fine, so you found my mother's sentimental creation. It doesn't matter. I don't mind. But the past is the past. It is all irrelevant now, isn't it?"

"No, that means everything!" She looked up at him quickly with her soft brown eyes, but quickly looked away again. "Knowing you past with Lily shows me how forgiving you are. True, it was a terrible mistake you made when you gave the prophecy to Voldemort. But you did try to stop him by going to Dumbledore, didn't you? That's why the Potters went into hiding, wasn't it? I figured that out myself after thinking through what Dumbledore told me before I return to this time. He mentioned something about how he trusted you, and how... in the other time, that he had begged you to share your history with Harry's family on trial. The secret that he was referring to was your relationship with Lily, wasn't it? And Lily was the reason why you decided to switch sides. Am I right?"

He considered her words quietly for a few moments before answering, "Yes and no, Hermione. Yes I did go to Dumbledore because I realized the Dark Lord was going to attack the Potters. But no, that was not when I realized being a Death Eater was a mistake. I was young, and lost. At the beginning, the Dark Lord's league offered the only acceptance that I craved. But then Dumbledore hired me as the potions master at Hogwarts. I don't expect you to believe this, but I actually found a purpose in teaching. Unfortunately however, I didn't realize that soon enough to stop myself from being the Dark Lord's spy. It was... an unforgivable mistake."

Stroking the back of his hand gently, Hermione shook her head, "Your subsequent actions have made up for that. I don't think you are giving yourself enough credit for what you've done for Harry. When he is old enough to understand, I... we will talk to him, and he will too forgive you. He knows how much you care about him, Severus. He loves you. And..." Her voice trailed off a bit, and she finally said quietly, "so do I."

Severus closed his eyes and let out a sigh. He heard the hesitation in her words. Yes, she forgave him. That was more than what he could ever hope for. But she hesitated to say that she still loved him the same. Perhaps, Severus thought, expecting her to love him the same way after hearing his confession was simply too much to ask.

"But..." She continued on. Severus kept his eyes shut as he waited for her to give him the soft landing, to tell him that she couldn't love him the way he wished her to.

"I do understand," She dropped her head even lower as she spoke, "if you cannot return the feelings." She choked on her words and a couple of teardrops fell on the back of his hand. "You probably will always save that special place for her in your heart, won't you? I can never replace Lily."

Her words completely took him by surprise. It was a couple of seconds later when Severus finally realized what Hermione was telling him, and why the young witch was beginning to cry. Quickly he pulled her into his arms, only ended up having her sobbing uncontrollably on his shoulder.

"Please," he felt his eyes moistened, and didn't know if he should smile or cry with her, "please don't cry you silly girl." He heard himself saying, "Don't you ever let that crazy idea get into this clever head of yours."

She pushed herself away from him and looked at him searchingly. Brushing her tears away he gently lifted up her chin. With a small smile in the corner of his lips he said, "Lily was my only friend growing up. I eventually realized that it was only friendship between us. I did have a crush on her when we were at school; but all teenagers do that, don't they? I thought I loved her because I didn't know what love was. You, Hermione Granger, have shown me what love is. You've shown me what it truly feels to love, and to be loved." He pulled her back into her arms and he whispered in her ears, "I love you Hermione. I was so afraid I was going to lose you. You have no idea..."

She broke into a smile when she looked back at him. When their lips met they found a new meaning in the tenderness. Their hearts felt light as feathers as their lips caressing each other. All they could taste was forgiveness, acceptance, and love.

Just as they were losing themselves in each other's gentle kisses, they heard a small voice asking, "What are you doing?"

Pulling himself away from Hermione Severus let out a sigh. Pressing his lips tight together he glared at the boy standing in front of them in his pajamas, "We are learning our lesson of not having the door properly warded." He drawled.

Hermione gave Severus a friendly slap on the shoulder as she moved away from his embrace. "Your Uncle Sev is being silly Harry. Come on. Let's go make breakfast." Their laced fingers however, never broke apart when they walked out of the room.

* * *

Hermione always enjoyed having tea with Minerva on Thursday afternoons. Every Thursday she would come to the office of the head of Gryffindor House, and review the lion cubs' progress in potions with the old witch. Afterwards they always spent some extra time sitting by the window, catching up with little things they didn't get to talk about in the previous week.

"I'm so glad you get along with Severus." Minerva said in this pleasant afternoon, "You probably didn't hear about those horror stories spreading among the students. Although his intention is never bad, he can be quite nasty."

Hermione knew Dumbledore had never shared with anyone else about her time traveling experience, other than Sirius. She gathered that the Headmaster had to explain her story to Sirius because as Harry's god father, Sirius had the right to know the reason why Hermione obtained the guardianship of his god son. Knowing her own head of house has no knowledge about her past made Hermione's time spent with Minerva quite entertaining. She couldn't help but finding the old witch's words about her colleague endearing. Suppressing a small smile Hermione said, "I did hear some rumors about that. But fortunately we work well as a team."

"That's because you have impressive knowledge in his subject." Minerva had a sip of her tea and commented. "Even with his high standards, he can't pick on your abilities."

"I happened to have a very good potions master when I was at school." Hermione traced her fingers around her tea cup, "And I happen to like potions quite a bit myself."

"You must have also had a very good teacher in transfiguration." Minerva smiled at the young witch sitting next to her, "and a bunch of other fantastic teachers. Look at your scores in your N.E.W.T.s! All of those Outstanding marks! I don't know if I've met anyone who could accomplish that while not even going to school full-time. Speaking of which," the professor looked at Hermione curiously, "just where did you go to school? I've never asked you that before."

"Oh," Hermione had long ago prepared for her cover-up story, "I traveled quite a bit with my parents when I was younger, and I ended up going to several different schools around Europe, but never got to stick around one long enough to make many friends."

"Well, let me just say I hope you find many friends being a member of the Order." The old witch smiled warmly at Hermione, but then quickly a small frown appeared between her brows, "Although I still don't understand why Dumbledore had to call back the Order again." She said, "Everyone thought he's being overly paranoid about the return of you-know-who. And he asked us to keep an eye out for dark objects? What is that all about? That is like looking for needles in a haystack. Finding Salazar Slytherin's locket is one thing, at least we know what it should look like; but other things that are little and precious with a fragment of Voldemort's soul attached to it? He couldn't even give these "things" a proper name! Just between you and me Hermione," Minerva's lips pressed into a thin line as she had another sip of her tea, "sometimes I think the Headmaster should stop eating so much sweets. Those lemon drops are beginning to get to his head."

Hermione smiled at the old witch's word. But she frowned inwardly as she was reminded of Dumbledore's wound and the seemingly impossible task on hand.

It was much later in the afternoon when Hermione bid Minerva good-bye. As she made her way back to her private quarters, her thoughts wandered from the research she had been working on with Severus, to their time together alone. A smile escaped the corner of her lips as she absentmindedly made a wrong turn and walked into a dark corner of the dungeon.

"Are you still daydreaming young lady? Wake up!"

Hermione gasped in surprise as a chilly breeze blew by and a silvery ghost slid in front of her.

"I can see that in your eyes. You're in love, aren't you?" The Grey Lady looked at Hermione critically. "Men, none of them deserves your attention. Someone as intelligent as you should never fall for any of them."

"I'm sorry if you never had a pleasant experience with love." Hermione frowned at the ghost, "But it's really my life and I prefer to live it my way."

"Ha, that's what she says." The ghost slowly floating towards the deeper corner of the dungeon, "Don't come crying when your darling breaks your heart my dear."

Hermione shook her head and turned around to find her way back. She soon forgot about the Grey Lady when she heard the voice of her favorite wizard reading to Harry in their joint living-room.

"How's the lioness?" Severus glanced up at her when she walked in the door.

"Minerva shared with me some interesting names your students call you behind your back." Hermione smirked.

"How amusing." He sneered. "You can keep that gossip all to yourself. I have enough reasons to send those dimwitted dunderheads to detentions, and don't need any more reminders on how much they deserve the punishment."

Hermione only chuckled at Severus words.

"Auntie Mione, what did you do today?" Harry ran to Hermione and greeted her happily.

"Well, let's see... I graded papers, prepared some potions, did a little research, and went to visit Professor McGonagall." Hermione answered casually as she led Harry back to the living-room and sat down next to Severus. "Oh by the way," She suddenly remembered, "Don't let Harry run into the east corner of the dungeon. You remember that too okay Harry?"

"Why is that? What's wrong with the dungeon? Not that I think it is a good idea for a child to run around the dungeon by himself. But is there a reason to avoid that area?" Severus frowned.

"Oh listen to the dungeon bat talking." Hermione smiled and used one of the nicknames the students had given Severus. "No, nothing serious, but that Ravenclaw ghost is kind of creepy."

"Are you talking about that princess?" The little boy's eyes widened.

"She is not a princess Harry." Hermione corrected him, "She is a ghost."

The little boy thought for a brief moment and asked again, "Auntie Mione, what is a soul? Why did the ghost lady say some men only cared about their own soul?"

"That's exactly why you shouldn't talk to her again. She is just cra..." Hermione's eyes suddenly widened and she stopped her words. Severus looked at her curiously and arched an eyebrow.

"What is it? What's wrong?" He asked.

"She knows!" Hermione gasped in realization. "She knows something about Tom Riddle's soul! She was referring to it last time when Harry and I ran into her! She knows!"

"You think she can help us?" Severus sat up straight at the edge of the sofa, intrigued by the information.

"I need to go talk to her." Hermione got up quickly and headed to the door.

"Do you want me to come with you?" Severus asked.

"No." Hermione shook her head, "I have a feeling she wouldn't say a word if there is any male population within the vicinity." She gave him a quick wink and disappeared into the darkening corridors.

* * *

Hermione was glad they started early on this particular Saturday to visit the Room of Requirement. She had never thought the magical room could turn into such a giant messy storage closet, with all sorts of things piling up to the ceiling. Severus was equally astonished. Being at Hogwarts all these years, he didn't even know such a room existed. When he saw a couple bottles of sherry in a tote bag that clearly belonged to Trelawney, he was infuriated. If that lunatic knew about this place, how could he not! But he had to put his temper away as Hermione reminded him of their mission.

They came to search for Ravenclaw's diadem soon after Sirius came and picked Harry up for the day. Speaking of Sirius, Hermione found the interaction between Sirius and Severus extremely interesting. She recalled when Sirius made his first visit to Severus' private quarters at Hogwarts soon after the beginning of term. As soon as he arrived, Sirius quickly requested a private conversation with Severus in his study. Hermione later realized Sirius was probably trying to avoid her curious glance. She noticed the two wizards didn't stay in the room for very long. But when they came out from their private meeting, both had a strange expression in their faces. Sirius greeted Hermione politely on his way out, and only later sent an owl to arrange for a visit with Harry.

When Hermione asked Severus about their conversation, his looked at her thoughtfully, with his lips pressed into a thin line. After a lengthy consideration he said, "I made a promise to him that I would not share our conversation with anyone, including you. I am a man of his word. So I'd better keep my mouth shut." After smirking at Hermione's pouting face Severus finally said, "Let me just put it this way. Whatever you said to him on his last visit definitely made an impression. I am sure he wouldn't have said what he said to me if not because of your intimidating performance."

Having Sirius visiting Harry on weekends from time to time allowed Hermione and Severus to make better progress with their search for a cure for Dumbledore. But they took a break from that project today, diving into the Room of Requirement, looking for the diadem that contained a fragment of Voldemort's soul.

"At least now we know the name of the objects we are looking for. What did you say to the Grey Lady to make her want to tell you about horcruxes?" Severus asked as he looked through a pile of vintage clothes and accessories.

"I went to her and said I wanted to know why she thought men are not trustworthy." Hermione ignored Severus' curious glare as she went on, "I said I wanted to hear her story because I could use some guidance in love."

"Do you?" Severus stopped what he was doing and frowned at Hermione.

"Do I what?" Hermione looked up from a box of crystal wine glass set that she was going through, slightly perplexed.

"Do you need some guidance in love?" Severus arched an eyebrow at her.

"What do you think?" She smiled mysteriously at him, "Of course not! But how else am I going to make her tell me her story? Only after she was absolutely convinced that it was necessary for her to share her own miserable love history did she finally tell me her stories. I still can't believe what the Bloody Byron did to her. Oh well, I guess love is a strange thing. Anyway, it finally paid off when she told me about a charming young man named Tom Riddle. You wouldn't believe how angry she was when she talked about how he tricked her into giving away the location of the diadem and turned it into a horcrux. I think she really appreciated the opportunity to revenge when I told her I wanted to destroy the horcrux on her behalf."

"Are you sure you don't have a bit of a Slytherin in you?" Severus gave the witch next to him an affectionate smile.

"I didn't have it in me before I got to know you." Hermione smiled back, "Maybe you are finally rubbing off on me."

The search ended up being a labor intensive and time consuming task. It was late in the afternoon when Severus spotted an odd looking tiara on top of an old dresser.

"Come look at this," He called. "I have to say, its beauty would probably be more intriguing if it remained lost." He did not seem impressed by the piece of jewelry.

"Is there any reason we should hold on to it?" Hermione apparently didn't quite agree with Severus' opinion about the diadem. She traced her finger around the sapphire as she admired the beautiful craftsmanship of the golden headband.

"No." Severus answered plainly, "The longer we keep it around, the more complications there may be. Come, we will go to Dumbledore's office right away and finish what we came here for today."

* * *

It was mid-afternoon when the doorbell rang at Number 12 Grimmauld Place.

"Kreacher!" Sirius didn't even look up when he called for the house-elf, "Door!"

"Why do you yell at him like that Sirius?" Harry looked at his god father curiously.

Stroking his chin slowly, Sirius didn't move his eyes away from the chess game in front of them. "He's a house-elf, Harry. And he's old and probably losing his hearing." Picking up his knight Sirius grinned at the boy, "There goes my knight! Your turn, Harry. I have to say, you are not bad for a four-year old. Who taught you how to play?"

"I play chess with Uncle Sev almost every night!" The boy answered cheerfully, "Have you played with him before? He's really good."

Sirius frowned at Harry's words, and grunted something the boy couldn't hear.

"Oh and don't let Auntie Mione hear you yelling at the house-elf. She wouldn't like it." The boy carefully moved his bishop forward and said, "She told me they are just like us, only smaller. I am small Sirius. Will you ever yell at me?"

"Who's yelling?" A friendly voice came into the study and drew the boy's attention to the door.

"Moony!" Sirius smiled at his best mate, "What took you so long? I told you Harry would be here today and thought you'd be here in the morning."

"My apologies mate. I would have been here bright and early if not because of some minor delays here and there." Remus answered, but his attention was quickly drawn to the little boy with unruly black hair sitting across from Sirius.

"Harry, this is Remus. He and I were your dad's best mates." Sirius read the question in the boy's curious eyes.

"You look just like your father." Remus came up to the wizard and the boy, "And you have your mother's eyes."

Harry smiled shyly at the sandy blond wizard in front of him. He always loved to hear stories about his parents. Auntie Mione didn't seem to know many things about them. And all he could get out of Uncle Sev were only a few things about his mum, and never his dad. Harry was delighted to know now that he had one more person other than Sirius to ask about his dad.

"Kreacher!" Sirius yelled towards the hall again, "Isn't it about tea time? Where is the tea? Where are the pastries? Oi! We have guests here!"

"You just yelled at him again!" The little boy raised his eyebrows.

"Listen to him." Sirius gestured Remus to sit next to them, "This Hermione Granger really is something else. She told Harry that house-elves are the same as us, only smaller. Can you believe that rubbish?"

"Well, she might have a good point." Remus answered casually as he turned to watch the old house-elf bringing in a plate of biscuits.

"My poor mistress would never make Kreasure serving blood-traitors and half-breeds... Oh my poor mistress..." The house-elf grunted as he set the tea cups in front of Sirius, Remus, and Harry, completely ignoring Sirius' murderous gaze.

"Ouch!" Harry suddenly cried out, and held on tight to the scar on his forehead.

"Kreacher! What did you do?" Sirius bellowed at the Kreacher who was standing right next to Harry. "How did you hurt him?"

"Why would Kreacher touch a blood-traitor's son?" The old house-elf spat as he turned and stared at the boy.

With a quick step Sirius was standing in front of the little house-elf, with his large hand grabbing on the Kreacher's collar. "Why does his head hurt then? Did you jinx him?"

"It's okay Sirius." Rubbing his forehead Harry tried to make his god father loosen his grip on the house-elf. "He didn't jinx me or anything. My scar just happened to hurt a little bit. I'm fine now."

Sirius hesitated as he loosened his grip on the house-elf, but his grip tighten again when a golden chain on the house-elf's neck caught his attention. "Wait a minute Kreacher. What is this?" With a quick tuck, Sirius pulled out the chain, and found a locket dangling on it.

"Sirius! The locket!" Remus exclaimed.

"Are you sure this is the one Dumbledore was telling us about?" Sirius narrowed his eyes at the locket. Looking back at the house-elf, he asked sternly, "Where did you get this Kreacher? Give it to me!"

"No! Master Regulus gave Kreacher the locket. You can't take it from Kreacher!" The house-elf barked, drawing the locket back with his bony fingers by a quick pull on the golden chain. He struggled to get away despite of Sirius' tight grip on his neck.

"Let him go Sirius!" Harry came to the house-elf's rescue. "You are hurting him!"

"Stay away Harry!" Sirius was fighting to get the locket back from Kreacher. "Give it to me Kreacher! Do something Remus! Help me get the locket!"

Standing next to Harry, Remus frowned at the tall wizard towering over the little old house-elf. "Harry may be right Padfoot. You're choking him! Let him go. Don't you want to let him tell you how the locket got to Regulus' possession? Didn't you say no one ever found out about what had happened to your brother? He might know."

After a slight hesitation, Sirius let the house-elf go roughly and said through clenched teeth, "You don't know this house-elf, Remus. He will never tell us anything."

"Maybe it's time for us to pay Dumbledore a visit then, with him coming with us." Commented Remus cheerfully. "I haven't been to Hogwarts for quite some time. It's always nice to see the castle again. Don't you think Mr. Potter?"

* * *

**_A little bit of a busy chapter. Is it too long? I don't know what you think of all the "discoveries". Hopefully it's not too rambling for you._**

**_One of the underlying themes of J.K. Rowling's story is about mother's love. That's what gave me the idea of bringing Eileen Prince into the secrets of the half-blood Prince. I hope it is acceptable to you._**

**_I hope to maintain the unpredictability of the story, but I'm not sure if I've been able to keep that up...At least we have all (almost) of the horcruxes here. I bet you wonder what would happen to the most valuable one. Maybe that will remain the last chance for me to surprise you. =)  
_**

**_Let me know what you think! =)_**


	14. Tales of the Past & Clues for the Future

**_BigTimeGleekBTR, phoenixqueen15, morriganandjess, xoRetributionox, LadyDunla, yoradorable, hervissa, viola1701e, kittyhawk09, Stephiebob22, notwritten, duj, alannalove1990, dana-san, MandyJ, worrywart, irezei, Nocturnus, sbcarri, Lily of the Shadow, Melissa72, lettie, and my anonymous guest, thank you all for your reviews! _**

**_Sorry about the delay. Between presentations at conferences and calculating warrant and option pricing using the Black-Schole's model, my creativity was completely zapped this week!_**

**_One additional note: I want to apologize if I exaggerated any flaws of the characters. That was only for the purpose of certain specific parts of the story, with absolutely no bashing intended._**

**_All characters belong to the brilliant J. K. Rowling._**

* * *

**Chapter Fourteen - Tales of the Past & Clues for the Future  
**

Severus and Hermione did not expect to hear Harry's voice as they walked up the stairs leading to the Headmaster's office.

"He shouldn't be here." Hermione frowned as she looked up at Severus. "I told Sirius I would pick him up from Hogsmeade after dinner."

It seemed as if Dumbledore was expecting their arrival. The gargoyle guarding the Headmaster's office turned by itself for Severus and Hermione without waiting for a password. As they entered the room, they realized Harry was not the only guest in Dumbledore's company.

Hermione quickly recognized a much younger version of her favorite DADA teacher sitting quietly by the window. When he noticed Severus and Hermione, Remus Lupin inclined towards them politely and greeted them with a smile. He quickly however returned his attention to his best friend, who was currently sitting across from Dumbledore's desk. Unlike Remus, Sirius didn't turn to greet the wizard and the witch joining them in the Headmaster's office. He had his hands dig into his lustrous black hair, and his head buried in his arms. Hermione had never seen Sirius in such distraught.

"I can't believe this!" The wizard said under his breath, "All this time... I have only thought of my brother as a hopeless death eater. I didn't know... He could have come to me for help! I could have been there for him. I never asked... my own brother... my only brother..."

A little hand was patting Sirius on his shoulder. Harry didn't seem to understand all of his god father's words, but he tried to offer as much comfort as he could.

Dumbledore nodded at Severus and Hermione slightly, but he didn't seem to want to interrupt the discussion in progress. "Kreacher," If not because of the Headmaster turned to address a far corner of the room, Hermione wouldn't have noticed the greyish being hidden in the shadow behind a bookshelf. "Could you please let me have the locket? You may or may not know, but that locket is cursed. It may be safer for me to handle it than leaving it in your possession." Dumbledore said kindly to the old house-elf.

"Why should Kreacher trust you?" The house-elf asked in his deep raspy voice, "I've already told you more than you should know about Master Regulus. Everyone wants the locket... the aurors, my blood-traitor master... No... The locket was left behind by Master Regulus. Kreacher must keep it safe from the blood-traitors, half-breeds, and mudbloods."

Hermione noticed Severus' body tensed upon hearing the house-elf's last word. But other than his tightening fist, he didn't move a muscle.

"Auntie Mione!" Harry smiled at Hermione and ran to greet her. But when he was a few steps away from her, he suddenly cried out in pain and held on to the scar on his forehead, "Ouch!" he winced.

"What's wrong Harry?" Hermione whispered to the boy, didn't want to interrupt the conversation going on in the room. She handed Ravenclaw's diadem to Severus and picked up the boy. "Are you alright?"

"Yes I'm okay." Harry gave his scar a quick rub. "My scar hurts a little. It hurt earlier at Sirius' house too, right before Sirius found Kreacher's locket."

Hermione's frown deepened. But when she sensed Severus' concerned gaze she quickly looked away from the boy and turned her attention towards the Headmaster.

"Please understand Kreacher," Dumbledore continued addressing the house-elf, "We are not trying to take away any gifts your master had left for you. But as you had just said, Regulus wanted you to destroy the locket for him before he died, didn't he? If you cannot do it, why don't you let us help you?"

"Kreacher does not trust you. Master Regulus' brother hated him. You are all blood-traitors. Kreacher does not trust you." The house-elf croaked.

"I don't hate him!" Sirius bellowed, but he kept his face buried in his hands, "I never _hated_ Regulus. He's my brother for Merlin's sake!"

The greyish house-elf watched his surrounding carefully, while stepping further away into the corner. It was as if he was ready to stand his ground for the rest of his life if necessary.

"Perhaps," A velvety voice suddenly drew everyone's attention to the opposite side of the room. "I could have a word with Master Regulus' loyal house-elf."

Quietly the wizard in black walked up to the house elf, and continued in his cool voice, "I can completely understand if you don't trust any of the people in this room, including," he sent Sirius a quick glance, "your last master from your house. I wouldn't trust him if I were you." Ignoring Sirius' piercing gaze Severus went on, "However, I suggest that you consider a proposal from the person who was once himself in the same shoes as your late Master Regulus."

His words got the house-elf's attention. Kreacher looked up curiously with his big bulging eyes, "Who are you? And what is the proposal?"

"My name is Severus Snape. I was once a follower of the Dark Lord myself." Taking a couple steps closer to the house-elf, Severus rolled up his sleeve and revealed a faded dark mark on his left forearm. Looking straight into the house-elf's surprised big eyes, he said, "I too realized the error of my ways, just like your Master Regulus. Since then, I have spent every day of my life trying to redeem my sins. Your late master however, was not as fortunate. He had died in vain. His loyal house-elf could not carry on his final wishes. He gave up his life but accomplished nothing. I have nothing but sympathy for Regulus Black."

Large drops of tears rushed down the old house-elf's wrinkly face. "Oh no... my poor Master Regulus..." He cried, "Kreacher can't do it for him. Kreacher is useless... Oh young master..."

"Listen to me Kreacher, let me do this for you." the velvet voice came closer to the elf, "I will remove the curse from the locket. It may not stay its pleasant appearance after the curse is removed. But you can have it back so that you can always remember your master."

Sniffling loudly the elf examined the wizard as he considered the proposal. "You will give it back to Kreacher when you're done?"

"You have my word." Severus answered coolly.

After a slight hesitation, the old house-elf took the locket off of his neck with his trembling hand, and handed it over to the wizard in front of him. Severus nodded at the house-elf curtly as he took the locket. With the locket in one hand and the diadem in the other, he walked over to the marble table in the middle of the room, where the Headmaster was waiting for him with Gryffindor's sword.

Placing the two objects in the center of the table Severus took the sword from Dumbledore. Just as he raised the dagger however, a loud voice suddenly echoed in the room, "How dare you! Severus Snape!"

Everyone was shocked by the sound, and they quickly realized it was coming from the marble table.

A light white mist slowly rose from the locket and the diadem. When the white mist settled, a pathway was revealed in front of them, with two people approaching from the distance. As they got closer, Remus let out an audible gasp. It was James and Lily!

Harry also recognized his parents, as he had seen pictures of them at Sirius' place before. He quickly wiggled out of Hermione's arms and ran towards the table, but was quickly pulled back by Hermione by the arm.

"Snivellus," The wizard that looked just like James walked up to Severus first, "What do you think you are doing?" He asked darkly. "Do you really think you could gain any respect from them by destroying the Dark Lord's creations? No... Snivellus... you are wrong. You will always be a loser, you greasy git." He spat.

"Put away the sword and leave!" The witch that looked like Lily stepped forward from behind James and ordered, "You will never mean anything to my son." She said coldly, "You will never be accepted. You will never be loved!"

Staring at the witch and wizard in front of him, Severus froze. They couldn't be real; but the fine line between reality and illusion suddenly became terribly blurry.

"Severus," Hermione held on to his arm and tried to remind Severus, "That is not true! She is not real!"

But her words didn't seem to get through to Severus before James continuing on in a poisonous tone, "You will stay away from my son!" he said, "Being a loser for one day means being a loser forever. My son will think just like his father, he will never think of you more than a pathetic loser."

"Stop being mean to Uncle Sev!" A little boy's voice suddenly came from behind Severus. Harry walked next to Severus and began to shout at the image of his own father, "Go away! You are mean to Uncle Sev!"

"You..." James looked down at the boy dangerously, his eyes suddenly turned red. "You will stay out of this."

"Ouch!" Harry cried as he clinched on to the scar on his forehead, as if something was burning into her head.

Harry's yelp seemed to have brought Severus' consciousness back instantly. He took a quick step in front of Harry and pushed the boy behind him. Without a word he raised the sword and slashed into the locket and the diadem. Ear-piecing cries filled the room immediately, completely took Sirius, Remus, and Kreacher by surprise. Harry ran into Hermione's arms, where he immediately found her hands covering his ears. A moment later, the scream, the wizard who looked like James, and the witch who looked like Lily, all disappeared.

It was a shock for all of them to realize that the horcruxes had just put up a fight through Voldemort's dark magic. Nothing could be heard in the room for a few moments, except for the boy's quiet sob. Dropping the sword on the marble table, Severus got down to his knees and held onto the boy's shoulders. Quickly Harry turned around and threw himself into Severus' arms. "Uncle Sev!" He cried, "Why were my mum and dad so mean? Why were they so mean to you?"

Closing his eyes briefly Severus frowned, and then he answered, in a very calm voice, "No Harry," he began softly, as he gently stoked the boy's hair, "Those were not your parents. They were illusions created by the cursed locket and the diadem. Your mother would never say things like that, and..." he hesitated for a brief moment before continuing, "neither would your father."

As the boy slowly recovered from his sob, everyone in the room seemed to have regained their composure. Kreacher slowly walked up to the marble table, and reached up for the broken locket. Large tear drops ran down the house-elf's cheeks again as he laid the necklace in his palm and traced around the broken crystal inside the locket with his bony fingers.

"Kreacher... Go home." Sirius said softly.

The house-elf's large black eyes widened as he noticed the very foreign gestures in his master's command. Last time the house-elf was addressed by a gentle voice sounded just like that was years ago from Master Regulus. Blinking away large drops of tears, Kreacher obeyed the order and disappeared with a loud pop.

"Well," Dumbledore picked up the sword and returned it to the bookshelf. "That concluded the existence of a total of five horcruxes. The next question is: just how many of these did Voldemort create?"

"All the theories seem to point us to the magical number of seven." Remus said quietly from his seat by the window.

"That's what I've been thinking as well," the Headmaster paced the room as he stroked his long beard. "I believe Tom Riddle would try to make six fragments of his soul. Together with his own, that would be seven. I wondered what the sixth horcrux might be?"

"Or he might not had a chance to create the last one before he was defeated." Hermione quickly answered. The Headmaster looked at her curiously; but Severus was the only one who thought she answered just one beat too quickly.

"That's very possible Miss Granger." Dumbledore said cheerfully. "Anything is possible with magic, isn't it? In any event, this must have been a long day for everyone. Perhaps we could continue our discussions some other time?"

As Hermione, Severus, and Harry made their way down the corridor towards their private quarters, they heard Sirius calling from behind, "May I have a word please, Severus?"

Severus seemed to be slightly surprised. He was never called by his first name by this wizard. He hesitated for a moment before turning around.

"I will see you later then." Hermione said, thinking Sirius would probably prefer a conversation in private, just like his last visit to Severus; but she was stopped.

"It won't be long Hermione." Sirius called after her before turning to Severus, "Listen, Severus, knowing what happened to my brother and watching what you did tonight made me think... And I... I want to let you know that I'm very sorry for what I've done before. And..." he stopped for a moment searching for the right words, "Is there a way we could start over again, this time on the right foot?"

Severus arched an eyebrow at the wizard for a long moment before replying in an even tone, "I believe that could be accomplished, assuming you know which foot is the right one."

A smirk slowly spread across Sirius face and he said, "Perhaps we could play chess sometime, just as Harry had suggested to me earlier today."

The corners of Severus' lips slowly curled up as he answered coolly, "Certainly." He said, "As long as you are capable of accepting defeats gracefully."

"It remains to be seen who the sour loser is." Sirius clasped Severus' shoulder briefly before turning away to join Remus, who had been waiting for him patiently a few steps away.

"That's a little unexpected." Hermione said to Severus on their way back towards their rooms.

He didn't answer; but when she looked up at him she noticed a small smile hanging in the corners of his eyes.

* * *

"Is it scary to die?" The little boy asked after listening to Severus reading the last story in The Tales of Beedle the Bard.

Putting the book aside, Severus answered, "There is nothing to be afraid of, Harry. Death is only part of life. Although..." He paused for a brief moment, "Knowing death could come to claim you at any moment, it may be wise to make each your moment alive worthwhile."

The boy frowned at the confusing words and looked at Hermione for help; but quickly realized his aunt was not even listening. The witch was sitting in the opposite side of the sofa, rereading the last few pages of the book.

Frowning slightly to himself, Severus got up from the sofa. "Alright Harry, say good night to your aunt and head straight to bed."

His words seemed to pull Hermione away from the pages briefly. She smiled at Harry and gave him a quick hug, before Severus ushered the boy to bed.

When Severus returned a few moments later, he found Hermione once again completely absorbed by the children's story. "Something in this story caught your attention?" He sat down next to her and asked.

"Yes." She answered thoughtfully, "I have been thinking about the gift belonging to the third brother. It sounds awfully close to the invisibility cloak that Harry had when I was in school with him."

"An invisibility cloak? Where did he get that?" Severus was surprised.

"It used to belong to James." Hermione answered, "Someone gave it to Harry as a Christmas gift the first year when he was there."

"I knew it." Severus' lips were pressed into a thin line, "I knew Potter had something helping him when he was roaming the castle after curfew."

"Listen to you... still can't get over that?" Hermione gave him a small smile; but her smile quickly disappeared as she continued on, "I'm just wondering who would have had it all this time. I'm sure James and Lily didn't have it with them when they were attacked, otherwise I'm sure James would have asked Lily to use it and hide from Voldemort with Harry."

Hermione's words caught Severus' attention and he listened to her analysis intently.

"I've always wondered who gave Harry the gift. It had to be someone close to Harry when he was at school." Hermione got up from her seat and began to pace in front of the fireplace. "I first thought of Professor McGonagall. She's the head of the Gryffindor House, and knew James and Lily after them leaving the school through the Order. But then I thought other than the common connection of coming from the same house, she really didn't have too much outside relationships with James and Lily. Therefore there was no reason for the cloak to get to her possession. Same theory goes with Hagrid. Sirius was in Azkaban when Harry got the cloak. So Sirius couldn't be the person. It wasn't Remus either, because I have asked him myself after an Order meeting when we were helping Molly with making dinner. Severus, it has to be Dumbledore. He must have asked James for the cloak for some reason. He kept it in his possession until Harry went to Hogwarts. So in a way, he took away the only thing that could have saved Lily's life!"

"That's enough Hermione." Severus stopped her abruptly. "I know you have a problem with Dumbledore. He might have had the cloak, but he didn't mean to take the protection away from them. No! If you want to blame him, you might as well blame me for leaking the prophecy too."

"That's not what I meant!" Hermione quickly came back to Severus' side. "I wasn't blaming him, or anyone. I was just thinking about the cloak after I read the story. It's nobody's fault."

"It may not matter anymore very soon." He let out a sigh and dropped his head, "I don't know how much longer the old man can hang in there anyway."

She brushed aside a strand of his long black hair and found his eyes, "Maybe it's time we offer him the potion? Do you think it's ready?"

Looking back at the witch's concerned gaze Severus leaned over, and rested his forehead on hers. "Perhaps it's time. Yes. It's just that..." he drew in a sharp breath, "we have only tested it through relatively simple experiments. It may react much differently when it comes to a person."

"Do we have any other options?" She asked.

He couldn't find the answer other than solemnly shaking his head.

* * *

Severus and Hermione arrived at the Headmaster's private quarters in the evening on a Saturday in November, and found Minerva sitting with the old wizard by his bedside. The older witch nodded at her colleagues as she got up from her seat. "Here come your healers I suppose?" She smiled at the Headmaster, "I still can't believe you didn't go see Poppy sooner. I've told you long time ago that a cold could get much worse if you don't take care of it soon enough. I will see you tomorrow then?"

Dumbledore didn't answer, but only nodded at the witch as she made her way out.

Severus didn't say a word until the door was closed behind the Head of Gryffindor House. "You do understand the risks Albus. I don't completely know what this potion would do after you drink it." He said quietly as he put a glass bottle down next to the old wizard's night stand.

"Of course, Severus." Dumbledore answered cheerfully, "This shall be a risk worth taking!" He smiled. "But before we get to that," he raised a hand as he paused for a brief moment, "I have something I need to give to Miss Granger."

With a wave of his hand, Dumbledore summoned to his hand a big package wrapped in brown paper, together with a small envelope taped to it on the top. Handing it to the witch the Headmaster said, "Miss Granger, the package belongs to Harry's father. I thought I would let you keep it for the boy until he is old enough to have it."

Hermione exchanged a quick glance with Severus before looking down at the small envelope.

"That," Dumbledore pointed at the envelope, "contains the key to the Potter's vault at Gringott's. Everything in there also belongs to Harry."

Suddenly Hermione realized the purpose of the Headmaster's giving these to her. He must be preparing for the possibility that the potion would not work, or worse, would not work the way they had expected. "I will make sure Harry gets them when he is ready." She looked at the old wizard and said sincerely, "And you can explain to him how they came to your possession."

Dumbledore smiled at the young witch kindly, with a smile sparkling in his eyes. "I would be honored to do so." He said, "But if you could excuse me Miss Granger, I would like just a few words with Severus in private."

* * *

**_Like I said, I still have one last chance to surprise you. And I intend to achieve that in the next chapter._**

**_I look forward to your reviews._**


	15. Potion, Poison, and Pebble

**_Thank you all for your kind reviews! And you don't know how much I appreciate you following and favoring the story!_**

**_E-man-dy-S raised a question about Harry's age. Yes, he is still very young, just about four and a half. I guess that means this story has covered about two and a half years' worth of time up to date. I started the story hoping it could be a different kind of adventure for our favorite wizard and witch. I wonder how you think of my delivery so far..._**

**_All characters belong to the brilliant J. K. Rowling._**

* * *

**Chapter Fifteen - Potion, Poison, and Pebble**

"Severus," The Headmaster smiled kindly as Hermione disappeared behind a door leading to his study. "No matter what this potion would do to me, I want you to know that I truly appreciate your help, as well as Hermione's."

"Why didn't you tell her that yourself when she was in here, Albus?" Severus' brows furrowed as he asked curiously. "You know this was her idea, and she did at least half of the research."

Dumbledore shook his head slightly, "I will certainly express my gratitude to Miss Granger again when she returns. But she is truly as stubborn as a Gryffindor can get." He let out a small chuckle as he addressed someone from his own house, "I don't believe there is anything I can say to make her forget that I was the one who tried to convince her to return to her future. It's a difficult misunderstanding for us to mend, I suppose. Besides," He looked up at Severus from behind his half-moon spectacles, with a curious twinkle in his eyes, "I didn't want her to stay also because I have other thoughts to share with you."

Taking a deep breath the old wizard began, "Other than the potion that you brew here, there are many other reasons why I must thank you, Severus. I need you to know, in case I can't say this to you later." He raised a hand and stopped Severus from interjecting as he continued on, "Have you ever wondered why I trusted you so, and helped you through all the problems towards the end and after the war?" He asked. But without giving Severus a moment to think he went on, "Severus my boy, you and I share a very similar experience that no one would have guessed. We both lost someone who meant very much to us because of us associating ourselves with the wrong people. Seeing you strive with a second chance has been a way for me to cope with my own regret."

Severus' frown deepened as he listened to the old man's words. Dumbledore had never shared with him much about his past. Was this going to be the old wizard's deathbed confession? Severus was wrong however, as Dumbledore did not appear to be interested in elaborating on his own past.

"Remember your promises Severus." Instead of sharing some old stories from his own past, the Headmaster looked at Severus straight in the eye.

"I told you I would protect the boy. That was my promise." Severus frowned, "What else are you referring to?"

"You made a promise to protect Harry because of Lily, Severus. Do not forget that. Do not forget who murdered Lily. You have a bigger responsibility than protecting a boy. Listen to me Severus, I have thought about the potentials of everyone who has been with the Order throughout the years. You are the one with the most abilities, most amount of magical knowledge, most insight, and with the best chance to lead them through another crisis should Voldemort return. I need you to be prepared, and be ready to step in as the leader, even if that means putting Harry and your personal life aside. You are still young. You have many years ahead of you. There is much more you can achieve as an influence to the entire wizarding world than I could ever dream of."

Severus took a deep breath as he looked back at the Headmaster cautiously, "I am terribly flattered Albus. However, has it ever occurred to you that I have no desire of becoming someone as influential as you? What if I don't want to be the leader?" He asked coolly.

"You have this in you, Severus. You have the ambition of a true Slytherin. You know it's true. Listen to me," Dumbledore's tone had never been this serious before. "Remember the secret I've been keeping for you all these years. There is a reason that I've done it for you. You know that I will never hold this against you, but deep down you must understand what you need to do to redeem your mistakes. Do what I've told you to do, and you will have little to lose, but much to gain!"

Severus narrowed his eyes at the old wizard. Perhaps the old man was not who he had thought of him all this time. He was not just a forgiving mentor that was willing to accept him as who he was. This was not about a father figure wishing to live his life through his protégé. Dumbledore _was_ holding Severus' past against him! It was blackmailing; it was guilt tripping; it was a trap.

Severus thought at first that his discovery of Dumbledore's true motives of helping him in the early days should infuriate him. Very strangely however, the only emotion that he felt was not anger, but rather, disappointment. Perhaps... it's because... he no longer cared.

"That is a lot to ask, Albus." Severus blinked at the old man and answered plainly.

"I want to leave you with something, just in case..." The Headmaster changed the subject and pulled out a small leather pouch from the drawer in his night stand. "Since the day I destroyed Marvolo Gaunt's ring, I have been thinking about the right person to give this to." Slowly Dumbledore opened the pouch, and revealed a small stone in the size of a pebble. "Do you know what this is Severus?" The old wizard admired the stone in his palm, "This is the resurrection stone. Yes it is true, the three deathly hallows. I trust you will find it useful. And perhaps it would help remind you of your destiny."

Carefully Dumbledore put the stone back in the leather pouch and handed it to Severus. Severus however, did not reach for it. "Albus," his voice calm but cool, "if you do trust me as you said you did, you should proceed with the potion. That is, after all, why I am here this evening."

Studying the young wizard in front of him searchingly, Dumbledore let out a sigh. "I trust you will make the right decision." He said quietly and put the leather pouch down on the nightstand. With a wave of his hand the Headmaster opened the door leading to his study. "Miss Granger," He called, "Would you be kind enough and bring in the letter that I have left on my desk?"

With an envelope in her hand Hermione returned to the Headmaster's bedside.

"Thank you Miss Granger. And thank you for offering your help in researching for a cure for me. I want you to know that no matter if this potion is going to save me or kill me," The Headmaster smiled at the witch gently, "I appreciate your efforts very much. The letter," He pointed at the envelope in her hand, "will explain to everyone else if the potion doesn't work out. I don't want either of you to have to deal with the aurors or the Ministry."

With that, the old wizard lifted the small glass bottle from his nightstand. Raising the bottle gracefully at Severus and Hermione, Dumbledore winked at them mischievously, "cheers!"

Hermione and Severus watched intently as the old wizard tilted the bottle and emptied the last drop of the green potion down his throat. As he handed the bottle back to Severus he closed his eyes, and a few small creases appeared in between his brows. A few minutes later the Headmaster took in a deep breath. When he opened his eyes again Hermione and Severus saw the familiar twinkle behind the half-moon spectacles.

"I do have one question for you Severus," Dumbledore said as he arched an eyebrow at the wizard next to his bedside, "Why do all of your potions have to taste so... bitter?" Chuckling quietly to himself the old wizard rolled up his sleeve and revealed his wounded hand. As the potion slowly worked its magic, life seemed to be slowly returning to his damaged limb.

"It worked as well as I have expected," Severus said coolly, as if he had known what the outcome would be for the longest time. "I will be here again tomorrow evening to see the progress of your recovery, and to determine if another dosage is necessary."

Hermione was slightly surprised that Severus did not seem to be interested in staying longer to discuss the effect of the potion with the Headmaster. It seemed completely opposite in fact. As soon as Hermione handed Dumbledore's letter back to the old man, Severus turned around and began to make his way towards the door.

It was Dumbledore who stopped the Potions Master who saved his life. "Severus," the Headmaster called, holding up the small leather pouch, "I'm glad the potion works so well. I still would like you to have this, as my appreciation."

"You don't have to do this Albus." Severus replied impassively.

"But I insist." Dumbledore said.

Hermione watched curiously as Severus hesitated another moment before reaching for the pouch. Without giving it a proper look he put the pouch in his pocket and gave the Headmaster a curt nod, "Good evening Albus."

Severus was very quiet as he walked along Hermione's side towards Hagrid's hut to pick up Harry. It was not unusual when they went about their business in each other's company in complete silence. It was different in this particular evening however, as Hermione could tell that there was a lot on Severus' mind. Although she had always maintained her distance from the secret discussions between Severus and Dumbledore, she couldn't help but voicing her questions this time.

"What did he say to you? What's on your mind?"

Severus glanced over at Hermione briefly and slowed down his footsteps. He made a detour from the path towards the gatekeeper's hut, and stopped by the Black Lake. Following his lead Hermione came up to his side and looked up at him curiously. The crescent moon was hanging elegantly by the lowest branches of the distant trees in the east. A dim silvery glow reflected in the mysterious black water, as well as Severus' deep dark eyes. After a long pause he looked down at Hermione, and lifted her chin with his long pale fingers, "You have no idea what you've done for me, do you?"

Completely perplexed, she shook her head.

Pulling her into his arms he let out a sigh, "I'm recovering from a disappointment Hermione. For a brief moment earlier this evening, I had a feeling that my hands were tied. I was forced with a burden that I did not want to take. I would have had no choice if it was not because of you. Your forgiveness and acceptance, Hermione, have given me the freedom that I didn't even realize that I almost lost."

"You are speaking in riddles, Severus. I'm confused." She smiled with her brows furrowed.

"Don't be." He whispered. Slowly he moved his hands to her face, gently stroking her cheeks with his thumbs. When his long fingers ran through the soft brown curls of her hair, he leaned down and met her lips with a tender kiss. "Thank you," he murmured, "for being you."

It was a quiet and sweet moment of ecstasy. Hermione felt light-headed as she broke away from his kiss. Taking a deep breath she leaned into his arms. "Can we just stay here forever?" She asked.

Letting out a small chuckle he answered, "I don't think Harry would appreciate it much if your definition of 'forever' interferes with his bed time."

When they finally resumed their short journey towards Hagrid's hut Hermione asked absentmindedly, "What did Dumbledore give you before we left?"

"Don't mind that." He answered casually, "It's only something that needs to be properly discarded."

* * *

It was the third night in a row when Severus caught Hermione staring into space, lost in thought.

Harry had gone to bed over an hour ago. Just as many other nights, the wizard and the witch were snuggling next to each other in the sofa, reading by the fireside. Except this time, Hermione's attention was not in her book; and that, was never normal with Hermione Granger.

Putting his book aside Severus looked Hermione curiously. If this was some other time, she would have sensed his slight movement and would look back at him; but she didn't notice him looking at her tonight, even after a long moment. She was simply sitting idly next to Severus, brows furrowed, with her book dropped to her side, and her eyes locked on something invisible in the distance.

"Must be a very engaging book." Severus didn't expect his soft smooth tone could startle Hermione this much. She jumped a little upon hearing his words and let out a sigh.

"What is it?" He asked, turning his full attention to her, "You've been acting very strangely for a few days. Care to explain what's happening in that brilliant mind of yours?" He brushed aside a strand of her brown curls that was hanging down her forehead.

Hermione gave an uneasy smile before answering, "Well... I've been thinking... about Harry's scar."

"What about it?" Severus lost the playful tone in his voice. He too had taken note of the boy's complaint about his headache and Hermione's reaction to it.

"I noticed Harry's scar hurt each time when he was close to the horcruxes. And then I began to think about all the things that happened to him when we went to school together. He told us that every time when he had his nightmares, he felt like he was looking through Voldemort's eyes. It was also very curious that when Voldemort did something involving strong emotions, Harry could always feel it. He wouldn't need to learn occlumency from you if not because Dumbledore thought that somehow Voldemort could get through into Harry mind. Severus," She let out a shaky sigh, "I'm really worried..."

Stroking his chin Severus considered Hermione's words, "It makes sense though, doesn't it? That also explains why Harry is a parselmouth. No one in his family had this ability. After all, that should really be a Slytherin trait. And horcruxes… they are created through committing the terrible act of murder. The Dark Lord must have turned Harry into a horcrux when he cast the killing curse on Lily..."

Hermione began to cry before Severus could finish his analysis. "What are we going to do Severus? What are we going to do?"

Giving Hermione a small squeeze over the shoulders the wizard got up from the sofa and began to pace in front of the fireplace. "We need to remove the fragment of the Dark Lord's soul from Harry. That's what we need to do."

"But how can we accomplish that without hurting Harry?" wiping her tears with the back of her hands Hermione asked, "Should we ask Dumbledore for help?"

"No." Severus replied immediately, which took Hermione completely by surprise.

"But I thought you wanted his help when we..."

"This is different." He answered so quickly that he didn't even let her finish her words, "I don't think Dumbledore has Harry's best interest in mind. I... don't trust him."

Hermione arched an eyebrow at the wizard in front of her, "I thought that's something only I would say."

Severus shook his head and let out a sigh, "It's complicated with Dumbledore. We need to think of a way without involving him. We have..." He paused for a moment and frowned, "the potion."

"The potion? You mean the potion we gave to Dumbledore? But this is different isn't it? Harry wasn't cursed. He's not even showing any symptoms."

"You are right, this is different. However, so far all the facts we have gathered indicate that only the basilisk's venom can effectively counter react with this dark magic. The potion will need to be altered. Stronger..."

"Stronger?" Hermione gasped, "Wouldn't that kill him?"

Severus' face suddenly turned even paler. Looking back at Hermione with his deep dark eyes he let out a sigh of resignation. "That's the only way to remove the Dark Lord's soul. But I don't know... I don't know how we would bring him back." He sank into the sofa next to Hermione and ran his hands through his hair. "What am I thinking... This won't work. This is too dangerous..."

He felt her moving next to him and her arm wrapped around his. "That's a good start though... We will think of a way Severus." She said quietly. "There has to be something or someone who can help us."

Her words suddenly reminded him of something. Looking up at her he thought for a brief moment, before asking tentatively, "Hermione... would you like to meet Lily?"

* * *

Hermione tried her best holding back her tears as she followed Harry and Severus into the Forbidden Forest. The magic around the castle walls had proven to be too strong for the resurrection stone to work properly, leaving them no other choice but to venture through the chilly autumn wind into the forest. The little boy, however, was not at all concerned with the cool temperature. He skipped along in front of the wizard and the witch, kicking up the fallen leaves that were covering the quiet trail.

They soon came upon a quiet clearing where there was a couple of large boulders set around a tall oak tree. "Look!" The boy cheered, "Seats for the giants!" He turned around and asked happily, "Uncle Sev, Auntie Mione, so what is the adventure?"

Quietly Severus reached into his pocket and pulled out a leather pouch. "Give me your hand Harry." He said softly, and poured a little pebble into the boy's palm.

"What is this?" The boy's eyes widened with excitement.

"We brought you here to have a visit with someone." Severus answered slowly. "Turn your hand three times, and she will come."

Harry followed what Severus told him and turned his hand curiously. As he finished the third turn, a silvery image appeared before them. "Mom?" Harry couldn't believe his eyes as he stared at the witch in front of him.

"Hello Harry," Lily smiled at the boy warmly, "I've been missing you. Look how big you are now! I'm so very proud of you." As she smiled at her little boy, Hermione noticed the tears sparkled in the witch's eyes.

Lily's gaze lingered on Harry for a long moment before she turned her attention to Severus and Hermione, and greeted them gracefully, "Good afternoon Sev, Hermione."

Hermione couldn't help her tears from falling as she remembered their meeting with Lily using the stone a few days ago. She knew what the plan was, but that didn't make her feel any relief.

"Don't worry Hermione," Lily said kindly at the young witch, "Trust me with this. He is my boy. I know what to do. Sev," She turned to Severus, "Go ahead, send him to me. I'm ready."

"Harry," Severus handed a small glass phial to the boy, "You can spend a little time with your mother, if you could... drink this."

The boy smiled happily as he took the glass phial from Severus hand and quickly drank it with a gulp. As he gave the glass phial back to Severus he complained, "It's too sweet Uncle Sev..." Before he could finish his sentence he let out a big yawn and began to rub his eyes.

Giving his wand a quick wave, Severus summoned a comfortable feather bed in front of the boy. Harry didn't need any instruction, and quickly climbed in the bed and closed his eyes. Severus and Hermione knew exactly when Harry fell asleep, as his slumber was announced by the disappearance of the image of Lily.

Hermione could no longer hold back her cry. Severus held her tightly as she sob into his chest. "Be patient Hermione, be patient." He tried to calm her with his slightly trembling voice.

The forest suddenly felt even colder as Severus and Hermione waited in the agonizing silence. A few painful minutes later, the boy was still fast asleep in the bed. Pressing his lips tight together Severus let out a sigh. "This will all be my fault Hermione, if Harry doesn't... wake up. You will have nothing to do with this when they come questioning. Do you understand?"

"No!" Hermione screamed. "You can't take all the blame. Whatever they'll do, I'll be with you. I don't care... I'll go to Azkaban... I will go anywhere with you!"

"Don't be silly." He tried to reason with her, but couldn't help his own voice from wavering with the strong emotions surging through his veins, "If I have to lose him... I can't afford losing you too Hermione."

Hermione couldn't even answer as she was crying so hard. She couldn't imagine what her life would be like without Harry and Severus.

But suddenly, a small voice brought Hermione and Severus the much needed interruption. "What are you doing? Why are you crying Auntie Mione?"

Hermione gasped as she heard Harry's voice. Immediately the boy found himself wrapped tightly in the witch and the wizard's arms. "Er..." the boy laughed and he tried to wiggle out of their embrace, "it tickles!" He said, "Do we have any water? I'm thirsty."

Letting the boy go, Severus straightened up. With a wave of his wand he summoned a glass of water for the boy. The boy drank it greedily and then said, "Your potion is too sweet Uncle Sev!"

Looking back at Hermione's curious glance Severus answered plainly, "It's an old trick your Auntie Mione used to play. I guess I forgot how many spoons of sugar I should have added."

The rest of their afternoon walk couldn't have been better for Hermione and Severus. As they made their way back to the castle they listened contently to a very chatty Harry. "I saw my dad too! My mom and dad were so happy to see me... They said they will always be watching over me and be with me, even if I can't see them... Oh!" The boy suddenly stopped in his track and covered his mouth with a hand.

"What is it Harry?" Hermione looked back and asked.

"I forgot to bring that little pebble back with me!" The little boy exclaimed.

"It doesn't matter." Severus took a couple steps back and patted the boy gently on his head, "Didn't your parents tell you they will always be with you even if you can't see them?"

"That's not it Uncle Sev." Harry looked up at Severus with great concern in his eyes, "That pebble must be really expensive. Don't you want it back?"

"No Harry." Severus gave the boy a small smile and said, "It's not important anymore."

A grey owl interrupted their conversation and landed on Hermione's shoulder.

"Look!" Hermione untied a note from the owl and call out to Severus. "A letter addressed to you but he landed on me... Go figure..."

Taking the letter from her hand Severus read the envelope as they continue making their way towards the castle. "This is why... It is addressed to Severus Snape, Hermione Granger, and Harry Potter." He frowned slightly, "Have we not been carefully enough to hide our connections in public?" His lips were pressed into a thin line as he opened the letter and began to read, "He has no ability to be subtle, this Sirius Black... So here it is, we are invited to a tree trimming party, apparently."

"Yeah! A party!" The boy skipped a few more steps with the exciting news. "We are going right? Uncle Sev? Auntie Mione?"

Hermione looked up at Severus curiously as she considered her answer. "I'm going for sure." She said with a mischievous smile in her face, "Who knows about your Uncle Sev. You'll have to ask him."

Severus narrowed his eyes at Hermione briefly before answering, "Why wouldn't I go? I've grown rather fond of Black's facial expressions when I beat him in chess..."

"Yeah!" Harry screamed in excitement as he ran towards the castle.

"And besides," Severus took a step closer to Hermione and whispered in her ears, "if I don't go, who's going to keep an eye on my witch?"

* * *

**_Alright, so I did it... I stretched my imagination so now it is really a fantasy beyond a fantasy... Not sure what you think of that. I'm also not sure if this qualifies as a big surprise. Maybe next chapter's development/conclusion is more unexpected._**

**_One thing I was hoping to accomplish in this chapter is to free Severus from his self-doubt and self-hatred, and therefore free him from the controls of the old wizard. For the entire time in the books, Dumbledore had used Severus' loyalty to achieve his own goals. Not that his goals were not for a noble cause; but I just can't stand the fact that he never let Severus have a choice, even when Severus said he didn't want to do it anymore..._**

**_I look forward to your reviews._**


	16. Choices and Decisions

**_**A huge thank-you to TMNinjaGinga for being my beta for this chapter. I'm posting a revision of the chapter based on her comments and suggestions. She made the words flow so much better. Thank you!**_**

**_Thank you all for reading and favoring the story! Your reviews made my day! =)_**

**_We've come a long way, haven't we? Learning from my past experience (and mistakes), I don't plan on ending the story with a predictable outcome (not too predictable anyway). And just so you know, this is not going to be the last chapter. I hope it won't be too big of a problem with you. =)_**

**_Finally, just a very quick reminder... In this story, nobody (including Hermione) had the knowledge of the total number of the horcruxes. Therefore, no one knew for sure that they had already completed the mission of defeating Voldemort. In short, there is still plenty for our hero and heroine to worry about..._**

**_Enough said... here we go..._**

**_All characters belong to the brilliant J. K. Rowling._**

* * *

**Chapter Sixteen - Choices and Decisions**

Hermione gasped as she looked up at the majestic Christmas tree erected in the middle of the entrance hall at Number 12 Grimmauld Place. She had never thought this place could look so splendid. The sparkling tinsel and magical Christmas decor throughout the building reminded her of scenes described in fairytale stories. She smiled as she found Sirius' secret helper vanishing in a corner behind the staircase: wearing a hat belonged only to a Santa's elf, Kreacher almost looked cheerful when he looked back at his own handiwork.

"This is where Black spends all his energy... No wonder." Severus handed Hermione a glass of champagne and grunted between his teeth, "If he could spare a few hours from monkeying around and read a few more books, we might be able to find some other things to talk about after I repeatedly beat him in chess."

"You have to admit this is very pretty!" Hermione went on to Sirius' defense, "A bookworm would never be able to throw a party this grand!"

"I'm sure you can top this if you want." Severus replied plainly, before sending Hermione an emotionless side-way glance.

Hermione caught herself before thanking him. She opened her mouth but quickly closed it. "I'm not sure if I should take that as a compliment! Did you just call me a bookworm?" She frowned, but quickly broke into a smile when he arched an eyebrow at her with a slight amusement sparkling in his dark eyes.

"I didn't believe him when he said that I would not be the only Slytherin here." A witch in her late twenties walked over to Severus and Hermione and greeted them warmly. "Remember me Severus?"

"Of course," Severus inclined his head politely at Andromeda Tonks, "Andromeda. It's been years since I last saw you in the Slytherin's common room. Pleasure to see you again."

Andromeda smiled at Hermione and said, "You must be Hermione! Sirius told me quite a bit about Harry Potter's guardian."

"Please Andromeda! Do not exaggerate!" Sirius suddenly appeared behind his cousin out of nowhere. "A duel would soon be underway if you are not careful with your words." The host of the party smiled mischievously at Hermione before turning to Severus, "I only explained to Andromeda how fortunate Harry is to have a guardian who is so kind, so caring, so clever, so witty..." He stopped in midsentence and let a smirk spread across his face. Following Sirius' gaze, Hermione look behind herself, and found a strange expression in Severus face.

"Indeed... very kind words." Severus said in his cool velvety voice. His lips pressed into a thin line, and slowly curled up into a reluctant smile.

"Sirius, thanks for letting us bring along Ted's two nephews." Andromeda apparently did not understand the inside joke and gracefully changed the subject, "They just ran by and told me that they had never been to a tree trimming party with this much fun."

"Good!" Sirius laughed before turning away towards an adjacent room where the boys had just let out a cheer, "I know the boys will have fun. They are tearing down the house over there, following Ted's lead and with Harry's help. It's perfect!"

A pink-hair girl walked towards Andromeda as Sirius walked away to check on his younger guests. On her way to the group however, the girl tripped over a troll-leg umbrella stand by the door.

"Have you met my daughter?" Andromeda quickly caught the girl and prevented her from falling flat on her face. Patting the girl's shoulders gently Andromeda presented her daughter to Severus and Hermione. "This is Nymphadora. Oh wait! Of course you've met her. She's told me plenty about her inti... uh... interesting Potions Master."

The girl's cheeks turned pink as she looked away from Severus and Hermione, and she murmured under her breath, "Don't call me Nymphadora..."

"That's alright." Hermione smiled at the girl who used to be a good friend of hers in the alternative universe. "We all know how intimating this Potions Master can be." She winked at the pink-hair girl and smiled at her brightly.

"This must be Sirius' favorite cousin and her beautiful little girl!" A familiar voice announced the arrival of Remus Lupin.

Hermione watched in amazement as the pink-hair girl's hair turn into an even brighter shade of pink as she looked up at the sandy blond wizard.

"Nice to see you Remus!" Andromeda gave Remus a hug and said cheerfully, "Yes, this is Nymphadora. We were just talking about how time flies... She started Hogwarts already. Can you believe it?"

The pink-hair girl shot her mother a glare and hissed, "Mother! Don't call me that!"

"Don't call you what Nymphadora?" Remus asked curiously.

The girl quickly looked down as her cheeks turned scarlet. A moment later she answered shyly, "Don't call me Nymphadora. Call me Tonks."

Remus and Andromeda exchanged a small laugh and began to say something to each other. Hermione wished she could stay and listen to their conversation, but found herself being pulled away quickly by the arm.

"I wouldn't be here if I wanted to watch teenage girls faint in front of their crushes. I've seen plenty of drama unfold in the corridors at Hogwarts." Severus muttered under his breath as he led Hermione up the stairs into the drawing room, where light Christmas songs were being played by an invisible band.

Hermione chuckled at Severus words, and began to wonder if she had indeed missed something when she was hanging out with the much older Tonks and Remus in the other different time.

Her wandering thoughts were quickly interrupted, as Severus offered her a hand and asked, "May I have this dance?"

Hermione's jaw dropped. "You? ... Can dance?"

"Why do you have to sound so surprised?" Severus asked coolly. "Do you not know that dancing is McGonagall's favorite subject other than turning herself into a feline? She taught a decent dance class when I went to Hogwarts. Did you not suffer through a class like that with her?"

Hermione didn't get a chance to reply as Severus took her hand and pulled her into the rhythm. She was further surprised when she realized Severus could not only dance, but was actually very good at it. "You never cease to surprise me." She whispered into his ears before he sent her out into a spin.

The rest of the evening was filled by decorating the tree with magical creations, enjoying a delicious dinner prepared by Kreacher, and playing games hosted by Sirius (even Severus was laughing at the end). After that, there was more music and dancing until late into the night.

By the time all the adults settled down by the kitchen table for a slice of pumpkin roll cake and a glass of port, it was already past mid-night. Tonks was trying her best to keep her eyes open; but her mother knew, even with the hot chocolate in front of her, the girl was not going to last much longer. "As much as I hate to be the one to bring this up," Andromeda said, "It's time to go home."

They soon found Harry and Ted's two young nephews fast asleep in the sofas in Sirius' study. "Don't worry about the boys. Let them sleep." Sirius told Andromeda and Hermione. "I'll deliver them back home in the morning."

That was how Severus and Hermione ended up bidding farewell to Sirius and the others all by themselves, without Harry by their side.

They first apparated into Hogsmeade, and then began the short journey up the tranquil country lane leading to the castle. Holding hands, the witch and the wizard began a quiet conversation as they walked along the moon-lit road.

"I had a lot of fun tonight." Hermione said as she walked alongside Severus. She was taking small and careful steps, trying to avoid her new shoes from digging into her heels.

"It was a nice party." Severus answered in his cool smooth voice, "Sirius was a decent host...not surprisingly..."

"The party was nice," Hermione interrupted Severus, "But that's not what I meant. I meant I enjoyed the company... Well I meant to say is... I enjoy being with you. You must have really paid attention to Professor McGonagall's dance lessons." She blushed as she remembered how their bodies brushed against each other on the dance floor.

Severus glanced over at her with a small smile. "I hope I can take that as a compliment." he paused for a brief moment and said, "I enjoy your company too, Hermione. I... enjoy being with you in front of all of those people, knowing that you went to the party with _me, _not Black, or Lupin, or anyone else..."

Hermione laughed softly at his words, "My goodness... I would have never guessed that Professor Snape could make such romantic statements."

"You call that romantic?" He arched an eyebrow as they walked up the marble staircase leading to the castle, "Miss Granger, you've got to raise your standards!" He exclaimed dramatically. "Perhaps you should put your magical theory reading aside and expand your reading list. I would be happy to lend you a few romantic novels that I've confiscated from the seventh-year students."

They walked in silence after entering the castle, until they were far away from the classrooms and closer to the teachers' quarters.

"Hermione," Severus suddenly began, in a tone that was slightly more serious, "Please accept my apologies... for not being able to take you out on a proper date, and indulge you with what you deserve in a normal courtship."

Hermione was slightly taken aback by his words. "Why are you apologizing? Please don't Severus. I understand the situation; and I respect your decisions. If you think it is best for us to keep our relationship under the cover, that's fine with me. I understand that you will help Dumbledore as his spy in the future. As long as it's your decision and not his, I have no objections. And Severus," She stopped to face him, "Please don't apologize for any of this. I know what you're talking about, but the wining and dining really doesn't matter to me. Being with you is all I'm asking for."

He studied her intently for a few moments before taking in a deep breath, "You really don't mind?" He asked.

Shaking her head slightly she gave him a sweet smile, before turning towards the corridors leading to their quarters.

"Is it my imagination or are you limping?" The dim light along the corridor suddenly brought Hermione's awkward movements to Severus' attention.

"Oh it's my shoes." Hermione sighed, "I should have listened to my mother's advice about new shoes and parties. They are killing me."

Taking a step closer Severus looked down at Hermione's shoes, and shook his head disapprovingly. "No wonder you can't walk properly. Look at those heels! It did occur to me earlier this evening that you were taller than usual. I thought you'd used some kind of charms to make yourself seem taller. Why do you torture yourself like this?"

"Torture myself?" Hermione raised her eyebrows, "This was the first party we got to go to together. I wanted to look good next to you. I was hoping to..." She paused for a moment and swallowed, "I was hoping to impress you." Her voice slowly trailed off as she dropped her head.

"Impress me?" Severus looked at the young witch in front of him in disbelieve, "Hermione..." He shook his head, "You don't need to do anything to impress me. You," He picked her chin up with his long fingers, "have impressed me far more than you can imagine."

Hermione smiled and closed her eyes, letting his lips brush against hers, sending electric shockwaves through her body. Without a word of warning, he lifted her up off of her feet. Letting out a small yelp Hermione wrapped her arms around his neck, and buried her face between his neck and his shoulder to muffle her laughter. Carrying her in his arms Severus made his way down the castle corridor. "Since you are not capable to taking care of your own feet, somebody else will have to get the job done." He murmured.

When he carried her over the threshold leading to their joint quarters, a thought suddenly occurred to Severus and he knew immediately what he would get for Hermione for her Christmas present.

* * *

"Professor Snape, you have great taste!" said the young man behind the counter. The young wizard's bright smile seemed so perfect that it looked as if it was professionally designed and permanently glued to his face. He continued to smile at the counter as his busy fingers worked on wrapping a small black velvet box with a sheet of sage green paper. Hearing no comments from his customer, the young man asked again, "So who is the lucky lady? Is this a Christmas present? Or is it for a special occasion? I have to say, Professor, this is one of my favorite settings in the entire store and don't let me get started with the stone..."

"I certainly will not let you get started with the stone." The Potions Master sneered at the young man who had a history of talking too much since his days as a Ravenclaw in his potions class. "Listen, the more you talk, the longer I will have to wait. If I knew I would have to wait here listening to your monologue, I would have traveled a little further and visited the jeweler across town. On second thought, perhaps I still have that option."

The smile froze on the young man's face as his cheeks quickly reddened. The wizard in black watched in satisfaction as the young man shut his mouth immediately, swallowed hard, and turned his complete attention to the task at hand. Within a couple of minutes, the Potions Master strode out of the store, with the package in his pocket, and his black cloak billowing behind him.

"Slow down for a moment..." A low voice stopped Severus as he walked down the cobblestone street.

Severus slowed down his steps and turned to face the shadow following right behind him, "Fancy seeing you here, Lucius." He greeted the wizard with pale blond hair.

"The pleasure is all mine, Severus." Lucius Malfoy clasped a hand over Severus' shoulder and steered him towards the Hog's Head Inn. "I just got back from Hogwarts for some school board business. I went to your office looking for you but you weren't there. This is perfect, saving me a separate trip. For old time's sake, my friend, come join me for a glass of firewhiskey."

Severus followed Lucius wordlessly into the pub, and sat down in a quiet corner by the window. Lucius soon returned from the bar with two glasses of firewhiskey in his hands, and a small smile hanging in the corner of his lips.

"I have to give it to you Severus," The wizard with pale blond hair began; but he stopped in midsentence and looked behind himself cautiously. After he was sure that no one was within the vicinity to eavesdrop on their conversation, Lucius continued, "I always knew you are clever, but never guessed you would have this in you. Congratulations to my fellow Slytherin." He raised his glass.

Severus arched an eyebrow at the wizard in front of him. Returning Lucius' gesture he raised his own glass, but asked in his emotionless cool voice, "I have a feeling that I missed something in this conversation. Please enlighten me with you point, Lucius."

"Listen to you!" Lucius chuckled, "You are so good at this! No one would have ever guessed! Have no fear my friend. I am on your side! You can be sure of that. Your secret is safe with me. The Dark Lord would be very pleased to know that he has such a faithful servant in you. I am sure he will reward you someday for all the sacrifices you are making for his return."

Severus narrowed his eyes and considered his words. "What do you know?" He finally asked.

Lucius' face lit up as he took a small drink form his glass. "Your strategy is seamless Severus. First you aligned yourself with Dumbledore, gaining the old man's trust; and now you have that witch wrapped around your little finger. You may be able to fool others, but not me. I know who you really are trying to get to. The boy of course! The rumor is that Dumbledore found this distant relative of the boy's and tricked her into becoming the boy's legal guardian. A sad situation for a young woman I must say. That kind of responsibility must have scared away all the possible suitors. But you my friend, jumped on this opportunity! How clever of you! How else can you control the boy better than making his guardian fall head over heels for you?"

Severus watched the blond-haired wizard talking animatedly in front of him with his emotionless dark eyes. He took a small sip of his firewhiskey and looked back at Lucius Malfoy, still didn't say a word.

Taking Severus' lack of reaction as his confirmation, Lucius went on, "You have my complete support Severus, as well as a few close friends of mine sharing the same beliefs. Whatever you need, just tell me. Bring the witch and the boy to the Malfoy Manor next week. I will have Narcissa put together an impressive Christmas party, just for you. Let's make sure we win her over as a family friend, because that will make everything easier in the future. I think that boy is even the same age as Draco, isn't he? Listen to me Severus," Lucius lowered his voice, "we both know the boy holds the key to the Dark Lord's disappearance, and might very well hold the key to his return. You will have a very hard time doing the research alone. Let me help you. Let the boys be friends. We can even plan out some sleepovers. The boy will suspect nothing. And that will give us all the opportunities to do whatever we need to do with him. As far as the witch," the blond-hair winked at Severus with a wicked smile, "make her sign the marriage paper as soon as you can, so that she won't get in the way. If nothing else, at least you can put her to good use in your bedchamber for a while. And by the time you are tired of her, the Dark Lord would have returned, and you can simply lock her away and let her rot in a cellar."

Severus' stomach churned as Malfoy continued with his venom plans. He couldn't bear another word of it, especially the way Malfoy talked about Hermione. His face, however, did not give any emotions away. "I have to say Lucius, your observance and deductive reasoning skills are impressive. I didn't think anyone would have noticed. Yes, that was indeed my original plan. However, I regret to inform you, that the outcome of my plan has not been as satisfying as you anticipated."

The smile on the blond-hair wizard's face quickly disappeared, and was replaced by curiosity and concern. "Why? What happened?"

"Just like you, I also thought that there would be no other young wizards around to get in the way. After all, the witch came from out of the country and has no connections here." Severus casually brought his glass of whiskey to his lips and had a small drink. "It would have been an easy task if there had not been a small complication." Severus said a matter-of-factly. His face still held no emotions.

"What complication?" Lucius frowned.

"Sirius Black." Severus nodded as Lucius gasped in disbelief. "Yes, the same man who was recently released from Azkaban. Your cousin by marriage, isn't he? Guess what, the Potters made him the boy's god father, giving him all the reasons to visit the boy and the witch. I don't know if you are aware of Black's reputation back at Hogwarts, but if he wants a witch, he gets the witch." Severus took another sip of his firewhiskey and went on, "so my plan was pretty much thrown out the window by his second visit to the witch. Sorry to disappoint you Lucius, but I wouldn't be surprised if the witch moves in with Black as soon as her contract at Hogwarts is over."

"But what about Black? He can't be serious with this relationship! You just said it yourself, he gets all the witches he wants. Why would he settle for this one? You can still be her knight in shining armor when he kicks her out in a few months." Lucius suggested.

"What I said about Black's reputation was back when he was at Hogwarts. Spending a few years in Azkaban usually dampers one's attractiveness quite a bit. Black is a smart man. He knows when to settle. And besides, he wants to keep the boy close. Same strategy as mine, I suppose."

Lucius considered the information quietly. "That's too bad Severus. For a moment there I thought you'd gotten yourself a golden opportunity for a hefty reward from the Dark Lord. Keep trying. Don't give up. There must be other ways to get to the boy, and get what we need to bring the Dark Lord back. Cheers!"

Severus nodded quietly as the blond-hair wizard emptied his glass of firewhiskey and walked out the door. Letting out a sigh, Severus ordered himself another glass of the golden liquid.

By the time he returned to the castle it was already late at night. Hermione greeted him at the door of their joint quarters with a warm hug, "Where have you been Severus? You had me worried. Harry went to bed over an hour ago. He wanted me to say good night to you."

Severus hugged the witch back and took in a deep breath of the scent of her hair, "Sorry... I ran into someone at Hogsmeade."

"Who did you run into?"

"Lucius."

"Malfoy?" Hermione's eyes widened. "What does he want?" If she hadn't been too tired for the night, Hermione might have caught the hesitation in Severus' response. Instead, she had to cover her mouth to hide a small yawn before she continued, "Tell me all about it tomorrow maybe. Just so you know, I finished grading all the papers when I was waiting for you. This is perfect. We now have the entire weekend to ourselves, starting tomorrow night." She gave him a mischievous smile, "Sirius is picking Harry up in the afternoon, and I have a surprise for you tomorrow night. But right now," she reached up and gave him a quick kiss on the lips, "I'm really tired. I'd better go to bed before I pass out in front of you. See you in the morning?"

Severus gave Hermione a weak smile and reached down to hug her again, "Good night." He whispered in her ear, and watched quietly as she disappeared into her bedroom.

Severus spent the next few hours sitting by the fireplace in his study, thinking. Malfoy's appearance was a nuisance, but also a necessary warning. Had he become too careless with his situation? Was he being selfish thinking that everything was fine since Hermione's forgiveness and acceptance? Was what he wanted in the future an impossible fantasy because of the baggage he was carrying from his past? Perhaps it would be best to take himself out of the equation? However, no matter how hard he tried, Severus found himself failing miserably in his attempt to reach a rational solution.

That night, it took a very long time for Severus to fall asleep.

* * *

**_I always... always... love your reviews._**


	17. A Risk Worth Taking

_****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****____****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__********____****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__**My gratitute goes to TMNinjaGinga. Thank you for finding time from your busy schedule to be my beta again!**_

_****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****____****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__********__Thank you all for following the story all this way. Your reviews keep me going. I wonder if this is what you had expected when you first started reading the story..._

_****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****____****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__**All**_**_ characters belong to the brilliant J. K. Rowling._**

* * *

**Chapter Seventeen - A Risk Worth Taking**

The room was pitch-dark, with the only light coming from a silvery glow hovering over a throne-like chair placed center stage. The eerie silence surrounding him sent a chill down Severus' spine. As he took a few careful steps away from the stage, all he could hear was the clinking sound of the buckles of his boots echoing in the hall. How tall was the ceiling? He couldn't tell. How far away were the walls? He couldn't see. Only one thing seemed to be certain: he was trapped, and there was no way out.

There was a small sob coming from a dark corner near the stage. It sounded like a woman, or a child. Severus was not sure. Taking quiet steps he cautiously approached the cry. Suddenly a cold high voice came from above. It was first just a whisper, "Severus..." Before he could make out the words, Severus heard a maniacal laugh coming from the throne. Quickly he looked up, but the chair was empty.

"Who is there?" Severus asked sternly, and instinctively reached into his chest pocket for his wand. But his wand wasn't there.

"Severus, my faithful servant," The cold high voice returned, "I thought you were expecting this gathering. Have I made you wait too long?"

Severus knew the voice too well. He looked around in alarm, trying to find the source of the Dark Lord's voice.

"I appreciate your efforts Severus," Voldemort's voice went on again, "but I don't need the boy anymore. Why would I want a constant reminder of my failure? He should join his mother, his father, and all of those who stood in my way."

"No!" Before Severus could respond, he heard Hermione's scream. "You will not touch Harry. Not Harry!"

Looking hard into the darkness, Severus slowly made out the outlines of the shadows that look like Hermione and Harry. The witch was facing the stage with her arms wide open, trying to block the boy from the empty chair with her body.

"Please my Lord!" Severus called out to the voice echoing from above, desperately trying to find a way to convince the Dark Lord, "There has been a misunderstanding..."

"You brought them to me Severus." Voldemort's voice cut him off coldly, "What's the point of arguing now? No one can stand in my way. I am more than happy to take two lives instead of one. What difference does it make?"

"No!" Severus began to panic, "Spare them! Take my life. Not theirs. Take mine!"

But Voldemort's maniacal laugh returned as he completely ignored Severus' plea. Two green lights shot from the throne and hit straight at the two shadows in the distance. Severus watched helplessly as Hermione and Harry fell without a sound. He let out a desperate cry and tried to run towards them. However, no matter how far he ran, he couldn't get any closer to them. The outline of their bodies became blurrier and blurrier. And finally, he was completely surrounded by suffocating darkness. There was no way out...

Severus' eyes snapped open as he woke up in a cold sweat. He could hear his heart pounding in his ears. Quickly he got up from his bed and let out a shaky sigh. Running a hand through his ruffled hair, he tried to shake off the dreadful nightmare. A quick glance over the clock on his nightstand told him that he was too early to begin the new day, but probably too late to go back to sleep.

Slipping quietly out of the quarters he shared with Hermione and Harry, Severus wandered into the castle grounds before sunrise. Trying to clear his mind, he took in deep breaths of the cold brisk winter air. He stopped by the Black Lake and looked towards the east, and was greeted by the sheer beauty of Venus on the distant horizon.

"Severus my boy," The cheerful voice of the Headmaster pulled him out of his thoughts. "I didn't realize you were also such an early riser!" Dumbledore was in his thick winter coat, holding a small paper bag in his hands. "Do you find the morning air inspiring as well? I just came back from Hagrid's for a cup of early morning tea. He insisted that I bring with me some of his cauldron cakes. Would you care for one?"

"No thanks." Severus answered plainly.

"Wise choice." The Headmaster chuckled lightly, "I have yet to find someone with the iron teeth who can enjoy Hagrid's cakes." The old wizard smiled at the bag in his hands for a moment before looking up at Severus, "Since I have you here, I guess I won't need to send you a message later. I meant to ask, do you know if you and Hermione are available for a New Year's dinner party in my private quarters next weekend?"

"New Year's dinner party? In your private quarters?" Severus arched an eyebrow. "I thought that was a tradition long outdated since Slughorn retired from Hogwarts. Who else is going?"

"I am only inviting the two of you." The old wizard answered happily, "and Harry of course, if he'd like to join the boring adults. You can't seriously be thinking that I would be so rude as to not properly thank the wizard and the witch who saved my life, Severus?"

Severus considered his words as he looked at the old man with his deep dark eyes, "We only did what we should under the circumstances. I don't know if we deserve the appreciation, especially since we didn't even know for sure if the potion was going to kill you or save you when we offered it."

"That was a risk worth taking, wasn't it?" Dumbledore smiled kindly at Severus, "I would also like to take the opportunity to get to know Miss Granger a little better. Now that I am not planning on dying any time soon, I thought I would work on mending the misunderstanding between us. Your help, Severus, would certainly be appreciated. It was clear to me since the first day I met her, that Hermione is one of the most intelligent witches we have met in our time. I can see her helping you through all of your challenging tasks in the days to come."

"You want her to spy for you too?" Severus narrowed his eyes at the Headmaster, feeling anger brewing in his veins.

"Not necessarily, but that could certainly be an option." Dumbledore answered thoughtfully, stoking his long white beard slowly.

"No Dumbledore." Severus answered bitterly, "Having me working for you is enough. Leave her out of this."

"Don't be naive Severus." The Headmaster returned, "Since the day she returned from her future and knocked on your door, she determined her destiny. Associating herself with Harry and you gives her no other option but becoming a part of our plans. Now that she is so attached to you, do you really think she would be willing to stand idly aside watching you risk your life among the Death Eaters? I only want to offer her a chance to become a bigger part of our plans. How do you know she wouldn't appreciate the opportunity? Don't forget, she is a Gryffindor after all. She won't be afraid of those challenges. Don't you think you should at least give her the option?"

"No." Severus answered immediately, "Absolutely not. I know what you mean by 'options'. It sounds more like a trap to me. I will not let her get tangled in this mess. And I just remembered," He said coolly, "we are busy next weekend, and the weekend after that, and any other day when you want to have a dinner party. Good day Headmaster." As he finished the last word with a curt nod, the Potions Mater turned and walked away from Dumbledore, with his black cloak billowing in the winter wind.

A beautiful phoenix sailed through the sky in the morning twilight, and landed gracefully on the old wizard's shoulder. "Good morning Fawkes." Dumbledore let out a soft sigh as he stroked the bird's colorful feathers, "Are dinner parties really that out-of-date?"

* * *

Severus didn't have much time to think about his exchange with Dumbledore when he returned to the castle. He had forgotten that in order to clear up his schedule for the weekend, he had assigned early detentions with a young Hufflepuff and a third-year Gryffindor before breakfast. There was not much time left between the detentions and his first class with his Slytherins and a bunch of rowdy Gryffindors.

He found it extremely difficult that morning to keep his mind on his lecture. After the first class he quickly changed his plan. Instead of reviewing theories he taught earlier that term, he made all his classes for the rest of the day brewing relatively simple potions. At least it would be harder to notice that the mind of the Potions Master was somewhere else when he could leave all of his instructions in writing on the board.

For the entire day the students found their Potions Master staring at them with his most intimidating dark eyes; but inside Severus was in a constant battle with himself. One minute, he wanted to run to find Hermione and present her with the small velvet box in his pocket; the next minute, he held on to the box tight in his fist, wondering if the bottom of the Black Lake should be the best place for the little piece of jewelry to reside, together with his fantasy for a future with the witch and the boy.

When he finally dismissed the last class in the afternoon, Severus had only one thing in mind: he had to do what was right, and he had to do it fast, before he changed his mind again.

Quickly he walked back to their joint quarters, but found only an empty room. Harry had obviously already been picked up by Sirius. Hermione was nowhere to be found. A note on the coffee table answered Severus' question. "Meet me in the Room of Requirement." the note read.

Slightly puzzled, Severus made his way towards the magical room, and was completely surprised by what greeted him when he pushed open the door.

The come and go room was not really a room anymore, but rather, a patio covered by wisteria vines. Light music was playing in the distance. A table covered by crisp white linen was set in the center of the patio. Two ivory candles were burning quietly in the center of the table. Next to a bottle of chilled champagne waited two crystal wine glasses. It was a scene of the most elegant private dinner Severus had ever seen.

"I was wondering how long it would take you to find the note." Hermione's cheerful voice reached his ears before her smile greeted him. "You mentioned that we didn't get to go out on dates. What do you think of this arrangement? We can bring our dates back, and have this entire 'restaurant' all to ourselves. Our dinner tonight is prepared by the one and only Chef Granger. Before we get started," she raise a finger and gave him a warning stare, "I must advise you: you are not allowed to criticize my cooking. I don't get to practice often and this is the first time I've tried this recipe."

The words that Severus had been preparing in his head all day got stuck in his throat as he came to face the young witch in front of him.

Hermione was wearing a graceful short black dress, with her hair put up into a stylish bun. A pair of silver teardrop earrings flowed from her ears. She smiled at him warmly, with excitement sparkling in her eyes. He took in a shallow breath and slowly moved towards her. She welcomed him with a hug and a kiss, but quickly broke away from his embrace. Handing him the bottle of champagne she said, "Here, make yourself useful. I need to check on the oven real quick. I'll be right back!"

When Hermione returned a moment later she found Severus standing by the table, with his eyes fixed upon something invisible in front of him. The bottle of champagne was back in its ice bucket, uncorked.

"What is it?" She walked next to him and studied him curiously, "Rough day? I noticed you didn't have much of a break all day."

Shaking his head slowly, Severus put one hand on Hermione's shoulder. With the back of his other hand gently brushing against her arm he said in a quiet voice that sounded almost like a whisper, "We can't do this."

She frowned at his words and shook her head, "What do you mean? What can't we do?"

Taking in a deep breath Severus tried his best to keep his voice calm and cool. "You know how I feel about you Hermione. The direction that we are heading however is not wise. You know me better than anyone. Therefore you should understand the consequences of us being together. There are too many complications."

"It's Malfoy isn't it?" Hermione's frowned deepened. "I knew it. Nothing good can come from that man. What did he say?"

"He's not the only reason." Severus sighed, "He only served as a reminder. He reminded me of the liabilities I am bringing with me." He stopped her before she could say another word, "Like I said Hermione, it's complicated. I am stuck between two masters, evil or not, both extremely controlling and demanding. One is right here, in this castle. The other one is probably going to return sooner or later. You know how much I care about you and Harry. For the same reason I need to let you go. That's the only way you can both be safe. I want you to leave with Harry, and go to a place far from here, where no one can find you. I will support you as long as I can, as much as I can. But I can't be with you. As they say: if you love something set it free. It's better that way."

"What is all this rubbish!" Hermione pulled her arm abruptly away from Severus and took a couple of steps back. "If you love something set it free is something you say when someone wants to break up with you. You say that to make yourself feel better. I'm not breaking up with you. And I'm not going to let you break up with me! I thought you love me!"

Her words plunged into his heart like daggers. Severus swallowed hard, "Love is not the issue Hermione. I do love you. That's why you need to stay away from me. I can't live my life knowing I'm the one who brought you into danger."

"Nonsense! How can you call it love if you keep pushing me away?" Her voice trembled.

"Use that brilliant head of yours Hermione!" Severus said between clenched teeth, "When the Dark Lord returns, I have that blasted job to do. I'll have to go back as a Death Eater. Where does that put you? And Harry? You can't hide behind the castle wall your entire life. Even if, for whatever crazy reason, you say you don't mind, how do you think that makes me feel? You deserve better!"

"Oh please," Hermione laughed bitterly, "are you trying to play matchmaker and find me a suitable man now? You keep mentioning the Dark Lord's return. How do you know for sure he will come back? We've changed a lot of things in the past few months, and have definitely altered the future. How do you know he will still be able to come back? Are you willing to give this all up just because there is a chance something _may_ happen in the future?"

"You don't know that for sure." Severus turned away from Hermione. He couldn't look at her any more. "It's too big of a risk to take."

"What's wrong with taking some risks?" She challenged him. "Is whatever we have between us not worth trying for?"

Severus closed his eyes. He couldn't answer that question.

Silence fell between them for a brief moment. Then he felt her gentle fingers touching his arm. Slowly he turned around to look at her, and found her soft brown eyes gazing up at him. "You asked me to leave, and go somewhere far away. Why can't you do the same? Why can't you leave with me? With Harry?"

"All the connections I have outside of Hogwarts are sympathizers of the Dark Lord's. You and Harry will continue to be their target. What good would that do?" He looked away quickly once again.

"Who needs connections? We can to go farther than that. We will go to a place where no one knows you, or me, or Harry."

"That's easier said than done Hermione." He sighed. "I have nothing to offer you. My savings are limited. Even if we do go to a place like that, with my history, employment will be difficult to secure."

"But there are two of us." Hermione reached up with her hand, brushed aside a strand of his raven hair and found his deep dark eyes, "We don't need to work for anyone. We can work for ourselves. I think a couple of cauldrons would get us started quite nicely." She gave him a small smile. "My parents did it when I was little. I watched them start their own dental practice, with a little money borrowed from a bank. It wasn't easy in the beginning. But they did it with each other's help. You have me Severus. Together, we can make this work!"

Gathering his hands in hers, she looked up and searched his deep dark eyes, "Don't you see? We are meant for each other. We belong together." Taking a deep breath she cleared her throat, "Severus, I want to be with you, forever. Marry me."

Severus froze as the words left her lips. Looking back at her with his emotionless eyes for a long moment he asked impassively, "Do you realize what you are asking?"

"Yes." She answered firmly, "I absolutely do."

"You are asking to be tangled with a Death Eater and a spy."

"A former Death Eater and a reluctant spy, whose service may never be needed anyway."

"You are asking to risk making yourself and Harry a target of the Dark Lord and his supporters."

"Harry will always be a target, and so will his guardian. I am asking to be with the man who puts our safety above everything else. There can't be a better choice."

"You are offering your innocence to a man with a very dark history."

"I am asking for marriage to a noble man who recognizes the wrong choice he made in his early years, and lives his life everyday redeeming his mistake."

"You may be looking at a life with very limited wealth and comfort."

"But I will get to spend my life with the man I love. What else do I need?"

Letting out a shaky sigh Severus pressed his lips into a thin line. He closed his eyes for a few moments, as if fighting an internal battle. Watching his expressions intently, Hermione felt tears welling up in her eyes.

Finally he opened his eyes and studied her carefully, as if he was looking at her for the first time. Slowly he pulled one of his hands out of her grasp, and touched her cheek with the back of his pale long fingers. He then traced his fingers along her jawline, down to her chin, and finally brushed his thumb gently against her lips.

Hermione let out a gasp as Severus suddenly got down on one knee. He looked up at her with an arched eyebrow. "If you have to have it this way," he let out a soft sigh, with the corners of his lips slowly curled up into a smile. "At least allow me to do it properly."

Hermione's eyes widened as Severus pulled out a small black box from his pocket, and presented her with the most beautiful sapphire ring she had ever seen. "Hermione," He began in his velvet voice, "You are the most amazing young woman I have ever met. You gave me a purpose when I was lost. You gave me courage when all I had was despair. You gave me hope when I had none. You alone make my world complete. I would give anything in the world to make you happy. Hermione Jean Granger," He swallowed, "may I have the honor of having your hand in marriage?"

Tears ran down her cheeks as her heart burst with joy. "Yes!" Hermione let out a sob, "Yes Severus, yes!"

Slipping the ring on her finger Severus got back on his feet. He gathered her into his strong arms and held her tight. When she finally stopped crying, he lifted her chin and smiled down at her, and gently kissed away a stray tear on her cheek.

She broke into a small laugh and met his lips with her own. "If the chicken is burned," she whispered in his ear between their kisses, "I'm blaming it all on you."

* * *

By the beginning of the following summer, rumor spread across the country as students returned home from Hogwarts: The intimidating Potions Master had finally had enough dealing with the "dunderheads". The Headmaster's repeated refusal of offering him the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts had finally tipped him over the edge. The news of Professor Snape's resignation didn't create as much as a controversy as it did when the news broke that Dumbledore personally guaranteed the Potions Master's innocence right after the war. Not many people really cared about where the wizard went after he left Hogwarts. What became more intriguing was the fact that with Snape's resignation, the position of the assistant to the Potions Master was dismissed, and the witch who was the legal guardian of the boy-who-lived had no choice but to leave Hogwarts. Because no one knew where she came from, naturally, no one knew where she went. The witch disappeared from the public eye like a drop of water falling into the sea. With her disappearance, the famous Harry Potter was simply never heard of again for many, many years.

* * *

_**There are indeed a couple of minor conclusions that still need to be addressed. All will be settled in the epilogue.**_


	18. Epilogue

_****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****____****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__********__Thank you again TMNinjaGinga for being my beta! You make me feel so much better with the words I put down on paper!_

_**I hope you all enjoy the journey we took in this story. You probably each have a different idea about where our story is going to end. I wonder if you guess is the same as what I have in mind. =)**_

_****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****____****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__****__**All**_**_ characters belong to the brilliant J. K. Rowling._**

* * *

**Epilogue**

"Bye mum! Bye Ginny!" A red-hair boy waved at his mother and his younger sister as he stepped onboard the Hogwarts Express. "Great... just when you think you can use some help from a brother or two." He muttered to himself in annoyance as he realized that Fred, George and Percy were nowhere to be found.

Dragging his trunk behind him, Ron Weasley walked down the train looking for a seat. Most of the compartments were full already. There were a couple of them still half empty, but the existing occupants were all girls. Ron wasn't sure he would like to spend his first journey to Hogwarts with girls. They probably still have cooties.

After passing through several cars, he finally found a compartment that was rather empty, with only one boy in it. Pushing the door open he asked, "Can I sit here with you?"

The boy looked up at him with his bright green eyes. He had a head of unruly dark hair and was wearing a pair of round-horn-rimmed glasses. A snow owl perching on his shoulder quickly turned its head and studied Ron curiously, before letting out a soft hoot.

"Sure. Come in!" The boy nodded at Ron and gave him a friendly smile. He watched Ron put his trunk away and asked, "Are you a first year too?"

"Yeah," Ron answered as he sat down across from the boy. "I'm Ron. Ron Weasley. I heard a lot about the school though. One of the benefits of having five older brothers I guess."

The dark-haired boy grinned at him cheerfully, "It must be nice to have so many brothers. I don't have any siblings. At least not yet..." The boy's voice trailed off as he stared into the space in front of him, remembering an interesting conversation he overheard the other night. But quickly his attention returned to the red-haired boy in front of him, "I'm Harry. Harry Potter."

Ron's jaw dropped as he heard the other boy's self-introduction. "You are Harry Potter? _The_ Harry Potter? Can I... er... can I see your scar?"

The boy named Harry shrugged and nodded. Pushing his hair back, he revealed a small scar in the shape of a lightning bolt on his forehead.

"Blimey, I don't believe it! I've heard a lot about you. My mum always says I'm the same age as the boy-who-lived. But she also told me you disappeared years ago."

"Disappeared?" Harry let out a chuckle. "I didn't disappear. My aunt and uncle moved to France when I was little. We have a country cottage there. It's a really cool place. I like it there a lot."

"Your aunt and uncle?" Ron was bewildered. "No one has ever mentioned the aunt and uncle of Harry Potter. My mum read a lot about you. I'm sure she'd mention it if it was in the books or newspapers."

"Well, they are not really my aunt and uncle." Harry clarified. "I mean, we're not related. They adopted me when I was a toddler. I call them my aunt and uncle. But really," Harry shrugged, "they are pretty much like my parents."

"I've got to tell my mum. I guess the books and papers didn't get much right, did they?" Ron was amazed by the new information.

"That's what my uncle said to me too." Harry smiled brightly at Ron, "He told me not to believe everything they tell you in books and newspapers too easily. He said it's especially easy for young wizards to fall for wrong ideas if they are not careful."

Putting the book in his hand aside, Harry turned and reached into his bag. The snowy owl was not pleased by his sudden movement. She gave a hoot of complaint and quickly hopped off Harry's shoulder, and landed on top of her cage.

"You have a nice owl there. I wish I had a pet that I could bring to school." Ron said enviously.

"Oh, this is Hedwig. I got her as a birthday present from my godfather this summer. He asked a friend of his at Hogwarts to pick her out from Diagon Alley. She's already delivered quite a few letters for me to my godfather. I'm sure Hedwig wouldn't mind if you wanted her to deliver some letters home."

"Thanks!" Ron grinned at the owl happily. "So you know a lot of people at Hogwarts?"

"Not really. Well, if I do I can't remember much about them." Harry dug out a few chocolate frogs from his bag and handed a few to Ron. "My aunt told me that I actually spent a couple years at Hogwarts when I was little. I guess I was too little. I can't remember anything about the castle."

"That's what my mum said too. She said little kids forget everything about their early years by the time they turn five." Ron agreed with Harry as he opened up his chocolate frog and looked at his candy wrapper. "I got Dumbledore again. Who did you get?"

"Same." Harry sighed and put away the candy wrapper. "I have to say, he looks a lot younger in the picture than in person."

"You've met Dumbledore in person?" Ron had a hard time keeping his mouth closed on this particular day.

"He's visited us a few times as far as I can remember." Harry answered casually. "He never stayed long though. But the last time he came, he stayed for the entire weekend."

"That must be part of his plans for retirement." Ron nodded, "I heard from my parents that Dumbledore announced his retirement at the end of last term and said he was going to do something he didn't get to do when he was young. The rumor was that he was going to travel the world."

"He must have started with France then." Harry began unwrapping another chocolate frog, "He did stop by at the beginning of the summer and convinced my aunt and uncle to move back to England."

"He convinced your aunt and uncle? Why does he need to convince them? I thought everyone would just do whatever that old wizard says. I know my parents would." Ron frowned as he started working on the wrapper of the next chocolate frog.

"Oh not my aunt and uncle. I listened to their conversation with Dumbledore when they thought I was in bed. I actually think the old man had to try real hard to convince them."

"What did he say?"

"I don't quite get all of his complicated words. But something about his research, and things being safe now and stuff like that."

"Wow, your aunt and uncle must be really different. I can't imagine Dumbledore having to try hard convincing anyone." Ron thought to himself for a few moments, "I guess the new Headmistress is kind of nice. She used to be the Head of the Gryffindor House, where all of my brothers, well, my parents too, belonged. Do you think you'll be a Gryffindor? Your parents were both Gryffindors, right?"

"Yeah. I'll probably be a Gryffindor. But I haven't really thought much about the sorting. Any of the four houses is fine with me. My uncle was sorted into Slytherin and he turned out pretty cool."

"Slytherin?" Ron frowned and wrinkled his nose, "I don't know..."

"They just think a bit differently from the Gryffindors. That's what my aunt told me anyway." Harry said a matter-of-factly.

"Have you heard anything about the new teachers?" Ron changed the subject and looked up at Harry curiously, "Since your aunt and uncle know Dumbledore so well, did they talk about the new teachers that are coming in this year?" Ron's voice turned a bit worried as he recalled what he had heard from his brothers. "Fred and George said that they heard the new Potions Master is not new at all, but is actually someone returning to his old post. They said he's really scary."

"Scary?" Harry's eyes widened. He frowned a little and thought for a brief moment before murmuring to himself, "Really? Hmm... maybe... just a little bit..."

"And they also said that the new Head of the Gryffindor House is a young witch teaching transfiguration. I really want to be in the Gryffindor House with my brothers. At least you know you'll have an easy professor as the head of house."

"Easy?" Harry raised an eyebrow, "I don't know about that..."

The boys' conversation was interrupted when the door of the compartment slid open from outside. "Have you seen a toad?" A girl with bushy brown hair asked in a slightly demanding voice. Before they could answer, Ron and Harry saw a chubby little boy poked his head through the door from behind the girl, "Er... his name is Trevor."

* * *

The late afternoon sun sprinkled its golden magic along the scarcely traveled country lane leading to Hogwarts. Reluctant leaves bid their farewell with their last dance through the autumn breeze, following the rhythm provided by the footsteps of two lonesome travelers on the road. A wizard and a witch in their traveling cloaks were exchanging quiet words as they made their way towards the castle.

"Do you remember the first time we were on this road together?" She asked.

"How could I forget?" He answered, "Before that day, I had never been stuck with anyone who asked so many questions. All I wanted was a quiet walk to the castle."

"Was I really... that annoying?" She looked towards him with a small frown.

Letting out a small chuckle he looked back at her, "No."

She glared at him for a brief moment before breaking into a smile. "So..." She began, "Here's another question for you. Be honest with me, are you really not upset that you won't be the DADA teacher?"

"Perhaps. Maybe a little disappointed." He admitted. "However, the thought of having a werewolf teaching potions scares me to death. It's better to have Lupin handle a Boggart than having him brew his own wolfsbane potion."

She let out a soft sigh and smiled, "Such a control freak." She shook her head. "Are you really going to watch him take his potions every month?"

"You can bet all your galleons on that!" He pressed his lips tight into a thin line. A moment later he changed the subject, "What about you? Are you sure you can handle those lion cubs? I won't give preferential treatment no matter how much you love them. If they break the rules, they will receive their proper punishment."

"As long as you play it fair, Professor Snape, I shall do the same to your snakes." She arched an eyebrow at him mischievously.

"One thing is certain. The dunderheads will be confused for a while... Two Professor Snapes, different heads of houses. I hate to imagine the kind of names they will be calling us behind our backs." He said to himself.

"Harry will let you in on all the details I'm sure." She smiled at the thought of Harry talking to Ron and the others about the Potions Master and the Transfiguration Mistress in the Gryffindor common room.

"Speaking of which," a small frown crawled on to his brows, "You still think this is a good idea... returning to Hogwarts?"

Taking in a deep breath she nodded thoughtfully, "I think so. Dumbledore's research seems to show Voldemort is gone. His own retirement seems to me an indicator that even the old man is not worried about another war anymore. Without him here, I won't need to worry about you and Harry being tangled into his plans." She turned to look at him and smiled, "I also think it's important for Harry to come to Hogwarts, just like us and his parents. It's a tradition too valuable to give up. We have Minerva and Remus here inside the castle. Sirius and his friends will also keep an eye on Harry when school is out. I feel pretty safe back here."

"Didn't Dumbledore say that Quirrell is still going to teach muggle studies?" He remembered the one thing that had been bothering him since the old Headmaster's visit to their country cottage.

"Minerva told me Quirrell just returned from his two-year sabbatical and will join us tonight." She knew exactly why he brought it up.

"I will be looking for him as soon as we get there. I don't care what people say. If he shows up with a turban, it will be the first sign that Dumbledore might be wrong." He frowned.

"Or if he doesn't have one, it will be another sign that Voldemort is truly gone."

He nodded in silence, a moment later he said, "Harry also has us in the castle keeping an eye on everything for him."

"But we did promise him we wouldn't be the overly controlling-parent types and that we wouldn't be constantly watching him. Do remember your promise!" She reminded him.

"Certainly." He returned curtly. "I won't pay him any extra attention, as long as he doesn't get himself in trouble. By the way..." He paused for a moment and looked back at her, "Where is James' invisibility cloak?"

She arched an eyebrow and looked at him curiously. "I still have it. Why?"

"Didn't you tell me that Harry received the cloak as a Christmas present the first year when he was at Hogwarts? Are you giving it to him this Christmas?" He asked.

"Don't you worry." She smiled at the road in front of her, "I don't think it's a good idea for Harry to roam around the castle at night. I'm going to hold on to it a bit longer."

"Tut tut tut," He shook his head disapprovingly, "Who is the overly controlling parent now?"

"Don't you agree with me?" She asked in surprise.

"No, actually," He replied, "I do not agree with you on this one. Let him have the cloak. Let him explore the castle, and find the answers to his questions. It's all part of growing up."

She stopped walking and looked at him with her mouth wide open. "I can't believe my ears! Are you serious? You don't mind Harry roaming the castle at night under his invisibility cloak?"

"I am serious." He slowed down a little, but didn't stop. "But of course, he will face serious consequences if he gets caught out of bed after curfew. So that will teach him to be careful. As I said, I don't give preferential treatment." He looked back at her with a smirk on his face.

"I can't believe you..." She shook her head in disbelief, "You make it sound like you are looking forward to playing the cat and mouse game with him. Sometimes I think you are not much older than Harry. When are you going to grow up?"

"I do intend to stay youthful if that's what you are asking." He leaned over and whispered in her ear. Her face turned scarlet as she pushed him away with a small shove.

The gates leading to Hogwarts soon came in to view in the distance. Her thoughts drifted to the day when she first came here, and sat in a small boat heading towards the castle. "I wonder what they are doing now." She said to herself.

Reaching over for her hand he said, "They will probably be arriving at the train station in Hogsmeade soon, and will be greeted by Hagrid." Noticing her distracted reaction he pulled her back towards himself, "Do you think of them often? Your friends? The other Harry? Ron? And everyone else in your life before you came to me?"

She turned and stopped in front of him. Looked back at his deep dark eyes she smiled, "Sometimes I do, but not very often. I don't think much about the past, or the future that I didn't belong to." Moving closer to him she said, "Why should I think about the past if I have all that I want in the present, right in front of me?"

Placing a kiss softly on her lips he pulled her into his arms. "Do me a favor... Please restrain from making such sentimental statements when we are in the castle corridors." He whispered in her ear, "It is already going to be quite a challenge for me to keep my eyes off of you. I do have a reputation to keep. Snogging my wife in public would likely destroy my image of an intimidating professor."

Letting out a small giggle she broke away from him. Straightening out her coat and her hair she smiled at her husband, "I am extremely professional with my colleagues, Professor Snape. You can definitely count on that."

As the sun gently brushed against the western horizon with a tender kiss, Severus and Hermione walked through the gates leading to the majestic castle, entering a new chapter of their future together.

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**The End**

* * *

_**That's it my friends... the conclusion of another story. =) Thank you for reading! And thank you for adding the story to your favorites! I always love your feedback, so don't forget to review!**_

_**Also, I want to give you a heads up on my next SS/HG fic (the first few chapters are in the works and will be posted in the beginning of December). In this new story (happens after the war), there will be no time turner involved. Instead, our hero and heroine will have to find their common ground through a very different experience (involving secret identities). If you are interested, please keep an eye out for my next project: The Contact. I hope to see your reviews for this new challenge that I've set out for myself!**_

_**XOXO**_

_**Christina**_

_**p.s. an author's note has just been added after the epilogue to address a couple of concerns about the ending of this story. **_


	19. Author's Note

**Author's Note**

I apologize for alerting you with this update… No I am not starting a sequel for the story, sorry again if I disappointed you… I wish I could, really. But my muse just does not approve of that idea at this time. However, I did make two revisions in the epilogue to address a couple of questions / demands from my dear readers. Among all the questions, the following two would have to rank at the very top. I wish to offer my humble opinions about them and I hope they are acceptable:

1. How can the story end without Severus and Hermione having their own child?

They were both very rational people, and probably planned everything well. I can only imagine how challenging it was for them to move away to a foreign country, starting everything from nothing. Certain things might just have to wait. A baby was likely to be one of those things.

2. What's going to happen to the Hermione Granger in this time line?

Does it matter? A young witch would soon be sorted into Gryffindor. She might not need to run from a troll (or would she?), but that doesn't mean that she couldn't become the best friend of Harry and Ron's. As far as jealousy, there would have been no room for such emotion to exist between our hero and heroine. The young Hermione was, after all, a very different person from the witch who had grown to understand and love Severus. For Severus, there would only be one witch in his eyes, always.

Time is a strange concept. Until we can truly understanding the meaning of time, live in the present, not the past, nor the future.

I probably answered those questions with more questions. But I am a true believer of imperfection, just like my opinion about our favorite potions master. He's not perfect. But how can you not love him?

Christina


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